200 school system employees face layoff

More than 200 DeKalb County school system employees learned Friday they may lose their jobs so that the budget-strapped school system can save money.

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The proposal by Superintendent Crawford Lewis includes three different options on how to shed those jobs, which range from mid-level administrators to groundskeepers to drivers’ education instructors. The job cuts could come as early as soon as December.

The proposal is one of several budget-slashing attempts DeKalb schools face this year in the wake of a sour economy and state funding cuts.

The job cuts deliberately avoid elimination of teachers as well as other schoolhouse employees such as janitors and media specialists. It includes salary cuts for employees making more than $100,000. It saves the system at least $10.5 million, with additional savings possible should school board members decide to cut further, Lewis said.

“This is the most difficult assignment I have ever been given,” Lewis said. “I have mixed emotions about it. I really do. I wish there was a way around it. But there’s not.”

School board members told Lewis to reduce staff during budget talks this spring, as the board and Lewis grappled with growing costs and fewer dollars. Salaries and benefits make up 91 percent of the system’s $894.1 million general operations budget.

Lewis’ goal is to reduce that to 86 percent.

Marcus Turk, the DeKalb schools’ chief financial officer, expects the district to lose another $10.5 million in state funds this school year. If that happens, cuts in state education funding by May will have cost DeKalb more than $100 million since 2002.

Turk said he also expects the state, given the economy, to cut at least another 1 percent of DeKalb’s school funding for the next school year. Educators are scrambling to find ways to close the gap.

This week, board members approved an early retirement proposal for 142 central office employees that could save as much as $3.2 million a year. System officials last month also proposed student busing cuts designed to save about $4 million annually.

Lewis has the system under a hiring freeze for jobs other than in the classroom. Positions empty because of retirement or attrition are being cut from the rolls.

This latest proposal could take effect by the end of the year or, depending on what board members decide, sometime next year. A vote could come as soon as November, although it is not clear how quickly the board wants to act.