Cobb school employees decry cuts to workers

Cobb County teachers, bus drivers and counselors criticized the school board Wednesday night, saying the board plans to balance next year’s budget on their backs.

The school system is facing a $58 million budget deficit due to a bad economy and rising health care and retirement costs. On the table is a 2 percent across-the-board pay cut for all employees, a reduction in the step pay raise that teacher receive most years, and layoffs for as many as 33 workers.

“Now that hard times are upon us, the ax is falling on the easy target — the employees,” said school bus driver Brian Popham.

School social worker Hilary Carlin told the board a 2 percent pay cut hurts workers at the lower end of the pay scale much more than administrators, and therefore cuts should be proportional.

Others questioned why Cobb School Board Superintendent Fred Sanderson got a $25,000 pay raise in January 2008.

Sanderson earns about $214,000 to run the state’s second-largest school district, with 106,000 pupils. The raise was intended to bring his compensation up to competitive standards, said school spokesman Jay Dillon.

Sanderson acknowledged the cuts are difficult but added: “The fact is, we saved a lot of teacher jobs.”

Robbin Arp, a Cobb school nurse, spoke in favor of keeping five school nurses who act as consultants and backups to nurses based in each school. The cut would save $284,000.

Sally Vandenbos, a registered nurse with a master’s degree, is a consulting nurse who has been told she will lose her job.

“We take care of children. We make sure nurses are well-trained,” said Vandenbos, speaking in an interview earlier in the day.

The consulting nurses write individual health care plans for children with medical conditions. Some students have diabetes, asthma, sickle cell anemia and severe allergies, Vandenbos said. “We educate teachers so they know what to do in the classroom,” she said.

The School Board will meet Wednesday to vote on the $907 million budget.