School Employees Union Speaks Out Against Jobs-Busing Cuts in Beaumont

The union that represents non-credentialed school employees and support staff in Beaumont Unified School District opposes plans to eliminate jobs and further reduce bus services, and is encouraging members to attend the April 17 school board meeting.

Like and other school districts across the state, administrators in Beaumont are considering cutting jobs and other services at schools in the face of budget cuts and reduced revenues.

California School Employees Association Chapter 351 this week distributed a flier dated April 10.

"The District is eliminating home to school transportation except for special education students, and cutting essential jobs, while sitting on an 18% reserve," the flier states. "This is not putting students first.

"Support essential jobs and school buses!

"Come to the Board meeting on April 17th, 2012. Meet at the District office at 6:30pm.

"CSEA will continue to negotiate regarding effects of layoff as well as the contract successor agreement. CSEA wants to save jobs with a reasonable furlough day deal, and if we can reach that agreement with the District, we will.

"CSEA has repeatedly urged the District NOT to cut any jobs this year, but to wait and see how the revenue initiative does on the November ballot.  With an ample reserve, they choose to cut."

Union negotiators met with the District on April 4 and district representatives presented a "worst-case layoff list," according to Beth Caskie of the California School Empoyees Association.

District administrators will put the same list on the Board agenda on April 17, Caskie said.

The California School Employees Association represents 312 members in Beaumont Unified School District, Caskie said.

, Beaumont teachers union officials indicated they were ready for bargaining and hoped to avoid permanent layoffs.

In the wake of a 5-0 school board vote to cut 41.9 teaching and counseling positions, Jody Behrens-Blaul, a Sundance Elementary 1st Grade teacher and president of the Beaumont Teachers Association, issued a statement voicing the teachers union's position.

"Although we were disappointed with the school board's decision . . . not to use some of the district’s hefty reserves to maintain reasonable class size, we will now go to the bargaining table to keep the pending RIF notices from becoming permanent layoffs in May," Behrens-Blaul said in the statement.

"We recognize the impact of overcrowded classrooms on student learning and hope the district will stand with us on finding equitable ways to spread the district’s financial burden," she said.

"We continue to have concerns about the transparency of financial projections - whether the terminology is 'padding the budget' or 'conservative budgeting,' good faith bargaining must begin with full disclosure," Behrens-Blaul said.

The Beaumont Unified School District board of trustees is scheduled to meet next at 5 p.m. Tuesday April 17 at 500 Grace Ave., according to the district.