June 8, 2011 in City

Spokane Public Schools recalls staff

Jody Lawrence-Turner The Spokesman-Review

Tags:budgeteducationSpokane Public Schools

Spokane Public Schools will recall 100 teachers and other certified staff today after the school board decided not to increase class sizes in grades K-6.

Of the 238 who initially received pink slips, 85 remain on the recall list, said Staci Vesneske, assistant superintendent. Fifty-three counselors were recalled late last month.

School officials continue to consider where cuts should be made to compensate for an estimated $6.3 million budget deficit for 2011-12. But making a decision on elementary class size leaves fewer employees wondering if they need to look for a new job.

Increasing class size in middle and high school remain a possibility, school officials said.

Community members and school employees who spoke at recent public forums regarding the district’s budget made it clear they did not want class sizes increased.

61 comments on this story so far. Add yours!

hawken on June 08 at 11:53 a.m.
Very interesting.
Suddenly they found more money?
Or, more likely, they finally admit there are other places they can cut without laying off all those teachers. It’s the typical first response of liberal, big government….
“We will lose teachers, policemen, firefighters,,,, plus don’t forget the children and the puppies.”
Looks like their hysterical hype of losing all those teachers was nothing more than an “emotional” appeal/sham to the taxpayer. Unfortunately, too many buy the sham.
When government is “forced” to cut spending, it’s amazing what options they can find that allows the essentials and basics to continue. Public schools are government schools.
pseeger on June 08 at 12:23 p.m.
What’s your point, Hawken? I’ve read your post three times, but can’t find anything past the usual blah, blah, blah.
hawken on June 08 at 12:32 p.m.
The point:
Big, liberal government can do the same on less. Big, liberal government always whines when they are “forced” to cut wasteful, unnecessary spending.
Big, liberal government always plays their hysterical, emotional appeal,,,, “We can’t survive cuts.” We will lose teachers, policemen, firemen,,,,, and don’t forget the children and the puppies.
Fact is, as demonstrated here, liberal big government can do with less, with no significant decrease in the quality of essential services.
johnclarke on June 08 at 12:44 p.m.
Funny that big conservative governments never seem to follow the “more on less” approach eh Hawken? See, reducing government is never actually put into practice by conservatives, they just talk about it. That reminds me of you. Talk, talk talk and little to no evidence. When you do produce “evidence” the source is not based on facts or data.
liberal_in_right_wing_land on June 08 at 12:46 p.m.
Really Hawken??? I think its has been proven beyond any doubt whatsoever that it is the liberals and democrats that are actually trying to save the teachers, police and firefighter.
I know you tea bagging idiots hate history, but have you ALREADY forgotten what your friends and fellow baggers are doing in Wisconsin (where they are about to re-call 8 republican senators for what they have done), Indiana, Michigan, Florida, Ohio, and in Idaho?
Really, this was just a few months ago that the tea bagging republican party voted to strip teachers of their ability to negotiate pay raises (because $35,000 is to much to make for a teacher) or just flat out lay off the teachers and police and firefighters. Remember this was happening while these SAME tea bagging governments were passing legislation to give tax breaks and other benefits to billion dollar corporations in there states.
Come on Hawken, this was a few months and you are forgetting about it and trying to re-write history saying these idiot tea bagging republicans are the ones saving peoples jobs? You are pathetic.
liberal_in_right_wing_land on June 08 at 12:49 p.m.
Also, Hawken seems to be forgetting that the REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT BUSH AND REPUBLICAN LEAD CONGRESS grew government more than any president in the history of this country.
Again, facts are facts Hawken, stop trying to say you and your fellow tea bagging conservatives are the party for smaller government.
hawken on June 08 at 12:51 p.m.
Clarke:
The facts are as handy and overwhelming as our current, real time, real life, dive into the economic abyss, lead by Obama and his hyper-left, Socialist, policies..
I find it hilarious that you want to condemn former Republican presidents for your opinion of their failures, yet give Obama a total pass on his.
Here’s the reality. Presidents are, should be accountable for what happens on their watch. Unless one is a John Clarke liberal. In the Clarke world, the ills of a liberal president are not his fault. It’s the fault of previous, Republican presidents only.
hawken on June 08 at 12:58 p.m.
Liberal;
If you want to argue, pick a different topic than Bush.
Bush was a “Progressive Republican,” not the “Conservative” he presented himself to be.
So-called, “Progressive Ideology” has taken us into the abyss. Most prominently by liberals, Progressive Republicans are not without sin of their own, including Bush.
I am a conservative, constitutional, Republican. Don’t confuse me with “Progressive Republicans.”
The curse on America is “Progressive Ideology,” Republican and Democrat. Most prominently, liberal Democrats. There are some “conservative” Democrats that reject “Progressive Ideology.” They are called “Blue Dog Democrats.”
One size does not fit all. With the exception of so-called “Progressives.”
johnclarke on June 08 at 1:01 p.m.
Who said I was giving anyone a pass, liar ? I have asked you repeatedly to produce one shred of evidence supporting an example of any Republican president or administration ever reducing the size or spending of government. Still waiting.
Oddly, President Obama has the same exact tax code and the increase in the of size of the budget has either kept the same pace as George Bush, or slowed. What is different? How about the accounting for all the spending on wars ?
johnclarke on June 08 at 1:03 p.m.
Oh so I get it Hawken. Sucky Republican Presidents just don’t count eh?
Ok, produce some examples.
addyh on June 08 at 1:05 p.m.
This has gotten pretty far off-topic of Spokane Public Schools recalling teachers.
Addy Hatch
liberal_in_right_wing_land on June 08 at 1:08 p.m.
Again, ARE YOU KIDDING HAWKEN?!?!?! Stop trying to change history yet again, Bush is considered, BY FAR, one of the most conservative presidents this country has ever had - my god, just do a google search and you can have presidential historians on both sides writing articles to that fact.
Face it, you are a fascist, greedy, elitist, self centered conservative just like Bush was and his master Cheney was.
johnclarke on June 08 at 1:09 p.m.
Addy, right you are. Checking out.
liberal_in_right_wing_land on June 08 at 1:10 p.m.
Sorry, you are right Addy, I will not comment on here again unless it has to do with the topic and will not reply to Hawken posts unless it has to do with the what the article is about, the Spokane Schools able to save our teachers jobs.
Auko on June 08 at 1:32 p.m.
Doesn’t this scenario happen every year with District 81? Impending doom due to budget cuts…resulting in teacher layoffs. It seems like the majority of teachers are never let go..kind of like the boy who cried
“wolf.”
hawken on June 08 at 2:13 p.m.
Addy:
In my opinion, you are much too restrictive when it comes to allowing a natural progression of discussion.
Ryan Pitts says the purpose to this blog is to allow people to express their opinion and argue over issues. You have too quick a trigger to shut down opinions and arguments as they naturally progress.
Coffee on June 08 at 2:23 p.m.
Auko: I agree with you. It does seem to be becoming a pattern with district 81.
addyh on June 08 at 2:30 p.m.
Hawken, No. 1, this isn’t a blog. It’s a news story, and these are comments on that story.
Second, the guidelines are clearly posted over every comment you write: “Don’t post comments that are obscene, defamatory, threatening, off-topic, an infringement of copyright or an invasion of privacy.”
And third, Ryan Pitts e-mailed me and said he was preparing to post a similar comment, but I beat him to it.
If you want to rant, go elsewhere.
Addy Hatch
hawken on June 08 at 2:35 p.m.
Addy: All of my comments have been on topic. If you think otherwise please cite an example.
hawken on June 08 at 2:59 p.m.
Addy:
Here’s what I know based upon personal experience. You intervene in discussions more than any other SR Moderator.
If one is not allowed to challenge your judgment, then what’s the point in discussion.
If responding to other posters is inappropriate that should as well be posted on your “web site.” Blog is my technical mistake.
You have the authority and the trigger to do as you will. This I acknowledge.
However, that overrules my point.
skwscrod on June 08 at 3:00 p.m.
All this Progressive talk makes me hungry for soup.
pseeger on June 08 at 3:20 p.m.
Most Washington districts have a May 15 deadline to let teachers know whether they have a job in the fall, Auko and Coffee, thus the layoff and recall protocol. Otherwise, continuing contracts remain continuing. So there’s no “crying wolf” to it. Would you feel better if none of those teachers receiving layoff notices had been recalled? And, Hawken, please stop—I feel dumber just reading your rants.
selkirks on June 08 at 3:30 p.m.
@hawken: You are an idiot. Increasing class sizes has been scientifically, empirically proven beyond any reasonable doubt to reduce classroom achievement. This is a good thing. For anyone. Because these kids will be the economic drivers of tomorrow.
TL;DR: Deal with it.
Ryan Pitts on June 08 at 3:42 p.m.
@hawken - Actually, what I’ve said to you more than once is, not every issue is a cataclysmic battle between Democrats and Republicans. When someone steers every single conversation toward “liberals/conservatives are the real problem here,” well, that makes our comment threads virtually unusable to discuss anything else, including the *local* impact of the news. And we are a *local* newspaper.
I 100% agree with Addy here.
hawken on June 08 at 3:42 p.m.
selkirks
You misrepresent what I am saying. I agree with smaller class sizes.
The point I make is that liberals cry and whine about budget cuts when in fact they can make reasonable cuts elsewhere that have no significant, negative, impact on the quality of education that our kids get.
Cutting teachers is always the first, hysterical response of the liberal left, when anyone suggests a cut in spending. It’s simply an appeal to emotion and fools only the uninformed.
We could disband the US Department of Education, tomorrow, and it would have no effect on the quality of the education that is provided by local schools. Meanwhile, we would save $80 Billion a year by disbanding the US Department of Education, a Carter boondoggle.
So, lets be clear on what I am saying.
Squid on June 08 at 3:44 p.m.
If you want to increase the budget for schools and decrease wasteful spending, maybe it would be a good idea to completely eliminate the Federal Dept. of Education. It has the largest budget of any dept. in the Federal Government. We don’t have any Federal schools, so what is the purpose? Their budget is $127 BILLION!!!
In the ‘80’s, WA State voted to abolish the Federal Dept. of Education. Sort of a rebellious act, similar to what AZ has done with immigration.
Might help our deficit.
The only reason it exists is to reward high ranking Union officials.
Squid on June 08 at 3:45 p.m.
Dang! Hawken beat me to it!
hawken on June 08 at 3:50 p.m.
Ryan Pitts:
We strongly disagree.
My opinion is that every issue IS a [cataclysmic battle between [Liberal] Democrats and [Conservative] Republicans. Our national discourse is divided on this very point. Our national politic is divided on this very point.
Apparently, if I disagree with the position of the SR and you, that somehow disqualifies me from posting?
You and I have covered this ground before. In the end, you own the trigger, as to who can post their opinions and who cannot.
On this point we do agree.
johnclarke on June 08 at 4:08 p.m.
mmmm progresso.
Pat O'Leary on June 08 at 4:28 p.m.
Amen Addy, it’s time for Hawken to have a timeout for the next year or two. He’s like a damned broken record and never shuts his piehole and continuously spews the same garbage.
hawken on June 08 at 4:33 p.m.
Admiral: Censorship is a common strategy of liberals.
How about engaging in the exchange of ideas and opinions?
Such is the trademark of American Politics.
james_l on June 08 at 4:39 p.m.
Squid said at 3:44 p.m.:
“If you want to increase the budget for schools and decrease wasteful spending, maybe it would be a good idea to completely eliminate the Federal Dept. of Education. It has the largest budget of any dept. in the Federal Government.”
This is, of course, a lie.
In terms of the number of employees, the Department of Education isn’t even in the top 10.
In terms of budget, the Department of Education had a budget of $47B, placing it the 7th largest department; behind Defense ($664B), Health & Human Services ($77B), Transportation ($73B), Veterans Affairs ($56B), State ($52B), and Housing & Urban Development ($48B).
The above figures were for FY2010 and don’t include the Social Security Administration, since it has an independent, dedicated funding source.
hawken on June 08 at 4:42 p.m.
James: Cite your sources. Forgive me if I don’t readily accept your numbers. How old are they?
hawken on June 08 at 4:48 p.m.
James:
Here’s what I found:
DOE Budget 2011, $77.8 billion. (pretty close to my $80 Billion number above).
http://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/budget11/summary/edlite-section1.html
Squid on June 08 at 4:54 p.m.
http://www.onlineforextrading.com/blog/federal-budget-broken-down/
$127 Billion. Second largest budget behind the military.
Ed Byrnes on June 08 at 5:04 p.m.
Addy and Ryan,
I for one support your efforts to keep these forums on topic. If you have noticed that I post here less frequently it is precisely because of the constant digressing that you are addressing.
Ed
hawken on June 08 at 5:07 p.m.
Squid:
Your are correct about the DOE Budget, $127 Billion. Second only to the Dept of Defense. Well done.
hawken on June 08 at 5:12 p.m.
ebyrnes
Of course you do,,,,, you are a demonstrated liberal.
You are among the majority whom post here. The conservative minority, opinion does have a disadvantage, on this “News Service.”
james_l on June 08 at 5:16 p.m.
hawken:
I used the same source (among others for different agencies) you did, but limited all the agency budgets to discretionary spending for comparison purposes. Most of these departments have experienced large one time transfer payments and in the case of the Defense Department there have been a couple hundred billion in “off-budget” expenditures.
I used the first table in the link you posted and used FY2010, since the FY2011 numbers listed were a request, not a passed budget.
Squid: If you actually read the source you cite, you would see that the $127B number reflects a one-time stimulus spend of $81B. Both the table and the chart immediately below clearly show the BUDGET amount is $46B. The second graphic on the page clearly shows the Department of Education is ranked 6th in terms if budget; this list does not include the Department of Defense.
Squid on June 08 at 5:25 p.m.
Here is a source for the 2011 budget that says $129 Billion for the DOE. 2012 budget for the DOE is $121 Billion. It wasn’t stimulus money nor a one time payment.
http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/budget_gs.php
hawken on June 08 at 5:26 p.m.
James:
Enough with the smoke and mirrors that are typical of the Obama administration.
Five (5) doesn’t equal five (5)….. It really equals thirty-five (35).
That’s the smoke and mirrors of American Liberalism and the Obama Administration.
Squid on June 08 at 5:27 p.m.
Doesn’t really matter, since it’s BILLIONS of our tax dollars being wasted on nothing.
No one seems to have commented on this fact: In the ‘80’s, WA State voted to abolish the Federal Dept. of Education. Sort of a rebellious act, similar to what AZ has done with immigration.
ManleyPointer on June 08 at 5:32 p.m.
We should be careful about calling for the abolition of the Department of Education, now that they can command SWAT teams to deal with the unwashed masses.
reservedparking on June 08 at 6:22 p.m.
The original layoff notices were, by contract rule, distributed by a certain date. Recalls after that date happen almost every year.
“**We** strongly disagree”??? Royalty, you are not.
(Offering hawken a stepstool to get off his high horse)
Mr. hawken, please: Enough of the monopolizing. Go start your own newspaper somewhere else. Then you can have the entire editorial page all to yourself and control the content of the ‘news’ pages.
“Addy: All of my comments have been on topic. If you think otherwise please cite an example.”
Okay, take the 1251 rant. President Obama has absolutely nothing to do with Dist. 81 recalling teachers that, by law, rule, or contract language, requires them to be notified of potential layoff. Recalls happen every year.
Ms. Hatch, Mr. Pitts: Thanks for your efforts.
johnclarke on June 08 at 6:39 p.m.
Reminder: Hawken is a 17 year old who pretends to be 60 years old, and really really needs a girlfriend, a hobby…anything. Unfortunately any chance for adults to discuss topics in a rational manner is drowned out by his inflammatory posts. I myself have taken much pleasure in using facts and data to see through all the lies and crap-ola but man enough already.
hawken on June 08 at 6:53 p.m.
reservedparking:
Your so-called 12:51 rant was my direct response to another poster before me. Is that the best you have?
Squid on June 08 at 7:01 p.m.
How ironic and typical of Liberals to call someone childish names, and then one of their insults is to infer that their target is childish. Then anything they disagree with is called crap-ola, but nothing specifically. Just shows that they ran out of facts, data, and arguments. When you run out of facts, go to plan B, which is insults and name calling.
mejdae on June 08 at 7:09 p.m.
@Hawken: Liberal/Conservative divides exist primarily in the voting booths and in the media. At our jobs, at the grocery store, and everywhere else in our lives we work to accommodate different views on how the world should be run because if we don’t then nothing is ever accomplished and we stagnate.
I’ve followed you from article to article and if you really do see the world from such a binary perspective then honestly I’m not sure you’re really worth engaging with.
The public schools do what they can with what they can. They have bad leaders and good, bad employees and good. Just like every private or public business, liberal or conservative business, Christian or other business. It has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with human nature. The situation can be improved, and needs to be, but not with your narrow solutions that will work only in your perfect theoretical world.
reservedparking on June 08 at 7:09 p.m.
Which was also not directly related to “Spokane Public Schools recalls staff”
So don’t take the bait & perpetuate the off-topic detours.
BTW, congratulations to SD 81 for finding a way to keep the teaching resources in the schools and classrooms.
mtharves on June 08 at 7:43 p.m.
The staffing decisions made by every public school district in this state have to be made in early March (by contract law, so that employees have a reasonable chance to apply for other jobs elsewhere) , well before the final state budget comes out. This year, especially, given the Governor’s drastic budget proposal (the first to come out), school districts went with the worst case scenario and gave separation notices to lots of staff to cover their butts.
It’s really tough to budget for the year ahead at a time when you don’t have a real handle on your revenues and most school districts choose to be very conservative knowing they can always call people back but cannot fire them if they get the bad money news in April or May. It’s a lousy way to manage a business; whoops schools are not a business but everyone wants them to be run that way. The state budget needs to be done in a reasonable time frame to allow for better planning.
No, I am not a school administrator, nor do I play one on TV. But I was a teacher in K-12 and the Community College system for more than 30 years and watched this crap play out for many of those years. You have no idea what kind of stress those laid off go through.
Thayne on June 08 at 9:22 p.m.
Hawken, you need to get back on your meds. Your persecution paranoia is bad. Give us your opinion about the topic without the rhetoric about how you feel about liberals. Next you’ll be claiming that Palin should be teaching history. Get over yourself.
greenlibertarian on June 08 at 11:08 p.m.
Everyone, do not insult the trolls, IGNORE them, and they will fade away, eventually. Yes, I know it’s tempting to upbraid them for their bigotry and ignorance. DO NOT TAKE THAT BAIT.
I’ve been posting and reading commentary online for 30 years, trolls have always been around, only way to be rid of them is to IGNORE THEM.
C’Mon, I know most of you are better than that, you don’t sink to the level of the trolls.
Ed Byrnes on June 08 at 11:18 p.m.
Squid,
I agree with you that all of the name calling and ad hominen attacks that anyone posting here engages in are unproductive, and frankly I wish that Addy and Ryan would suspend posting privileges of those who do so for at least one continuous month when they do so.
I appreciate your defense of Hawken since he is frequently attacked, though I suggest that you read his responses to my posts, and mine to his. You will see that he consistently engages in ad hominen attacks against me, for example at 5;12 PM today, and that I do not treat him this way.
It seems that your motives are positive so I respectfully suggest that you more thoroughly vet those who you choose to publicly defend.
Ed
Squid on June 09 at 1:02 a.m.
Understood. I am not really a seasoned blogger, so I don’t know anyone, but have seen Mr. Clarke calling Hawken names several times, so it was mostly just to bring it to his attention more so than defending Hawken. Mr. Clarke’s post was kind of humorous to me.
I may disagree with just about anyone. My intentions are to learn from other people’s opinions or point of view. You can learn something from anyone. It’s hard for me to understand why someone would post just to insult and call names. Completely unproductive. Waste of time, in my opinion.
Sorta reminds me of recess in grade school.
My thoughts are that even when someone has a different viewpoint, you can look at something through their eyes and see things completely differently.
Ed Byrnes on June 09 at 12:54 p.m.
Squid, you and I share the same perspective about this, and I am really saddened by the name calling and ad hominen attacks that go on here.
I used to work in the heart of a major urban center and we had free coffee for our customers. We had one gentleman who although not a customer, was a decorated WWII veteran who, unfortunately, struggled with alcoholism. Being the person of faith that our owner was we figured we could afford the kindness of a daily cup of coffee for this fellow human being. This older gentleman once told me that “when you point one finger three are pointing right back at you.” In addition to the obvious truth in his statement this story always reminds me how I can learn important lessons from anyone, anywhere.
Ed
eagleproducer on June 09 at 1:32 p.m.
squid: Reagan made it a campaign promise to dismantle the federal Department of Ed. Same as Boy George. Instead of dismantling it, their secretaries of education placed burdensome regulations and unfunded mandates on localities and states that drove money away from the general classroom and into special services. Those mandates were only funded at about 20% of what it took to implement and maintain them.
It is not smart national domestic policy to have fifty different entities comprised of countless other entities making education policy. There needs to be national education standards and consensus about how those standards are measured if we are to compete in the global economy. Period. End of story. If any of the conservatives on here that have a background in education know how to implement that goal without a federal department of education, I’m all ears.
Would any of you advocate for each state to have its own currency? Having fifty seperate and disparate education systems isn’t any different than fifty currencies. It produces disparate outcomes and chaos, not to mention lack of consensus when measuring efficacy.
eagleproducer on June 09 at 1:35 p.m.
green: Thirty years? You had a computer with a modem in 1981? And people had blogs?
I don’t think so. The concept of a “blog” is less than 15 years old and was only available to those who could master a few mysql commands until just a few years ago.
Just saying.
eagleproducer on June 09 at 1:40 p.m.
manlypointer: Please provide a source for your claim the Dept of Ed can command “SWAT teams.”
I do know for a fact, however, that the federal reserve has its own police force.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Reserve_Police
Squid on June 09 at 3:10 p.m.
Ed, one of my favorite expressions is “there are people who talk, and people who listen.” If you just talk, you don’t learn a thing.
Eagle, my father was on the District 81 school board for 25 years, and was president of that board for 10 years, so if you want to learn a little something about how the DOE works, or doesn’t work, I can give you his number.
Having a uniform code of education doesn’t require an agency that has the second largest budget in the Federal Government. Doesn’t even require having a DOE. Doesn’t even require Fed intervention at all. Could be accomplished through a strictly volunteer group that has no budget at all, just like many of our agencies. Many of our laws, codes, rules, and regulations could be handled by volunteers who actually care about our country and it’s future, just like the volunteers on the school board and many many board of directors.
It’s sad to see so much of our money being wasted on nothing, and then when it’s time to cut costs, the target is always the teachers, or whoever has the greatest impact on the citizens. It’s a special kind of blackmail.
eagleproducer on June 10 at 9:52 a.m.
squid: Yeah, give me your dad’s number. I’ll know who to partially hold responsible for the dismal student performance in District 81. I’m pretty sure I know who he is anyway after your description of his “service.”
We need a national curriculum like the countries who are whooping our arse in student outcomes. Developing and implementing such a curriculum should be the work of the federal Department of Ed. We can no longer rely on the local model to improvde student achievement, especially when some local cranks or preachers can influence what is and isn’t taught in schools. The whole notion of “local control” has always been code for “we don’t want to be regulated or held accountable.”
Squid on June 10 at 1:02 p.m.
Eagle, you would be the first person to ever say anything negative about my father. Seems like you are in the extreme minority. He is the most honest guy I have ever known, as well as everyone else who knows him. That is why he was ELECTED to the School Board 25 years in a row. Teachers in general, can not say the same, now can they?
Wouldn’t it be nice if teachers had to be elected to their job every two years? Pretty sure you would be in the unemployment line and our school system would have top notch teachers for our kids. Kinda funny how he represented the teachers for 25 years, as well as the schools, but you are not appreciative of his volunteer service. You have no idea how many times my father pulled a rabbit out of his hat for the teachers and students.
When my father dies, he will have a huge article in the paper, and a standing room only service. Think you can find even 6 people to carry your casket? There can’t be that many people that respect you. Tell me….. What’s your legacy? What have you done to leave a mark in this world? Was it a positive or negative mark? Teaching kids to hate their country is not positive.
Any way, I know what a goof ball you are, from your comments that U.S. citizens should not own property. You should be shipped to Cuba to work in their school system, so you can screw up those kids. Too bad there isn’t a test to determine a potential teacher’s national pride before they are hired. They should have a little pride in their country before they teach our children.