Teacher job cuts reduced, but still fluid: officials

The head of the Calgary public teachers' union says trying to determine the actual number of job cuts next year is like trying to nail jelly to a wall.

Officials with the Calgary Board of Education held a news conference on Wednesday to try to clear up confusion about its budget.

Schools will lose $14 million in funding, and a total of 358 positions will be cut, they announced. That numberis fluidbecause several factors could change, they added.

"We'll hang on to as many people as we can but we will not be replacing the positions around retirement or attrition, said Chief superintendent Naomi Johnson. The final tally won't be clear until September, once student enrollment figures are known, she added.

But even with fewer positions on the chopping block than first thought, the number is still significant, and officials should continue to dig for other cost savings, said Jenny Regal, the president of Calgary's public teachers association.

"I would encourage them to keep looking, but I'm not sure how many rocks there are left to turn over," she said.

At aboard meeting on Tuesday night, officials told trustees they had dug deep to reduce the budget shortfall by $10 million,saving 100 jobs in the schools. Administrators predicted thatsaving thosejobsmight mean no increase in elementary schools class sizes.

Board chair Pat Cochrane is blaming the province for job cuts, saying the provincial budget shorted the board by $61. 7 millionfor the 2011-2012 school year.

"We have sat down with the ministers and we told them what the problems are and they have not addressed them," she said.

Newest teachers most likely to lose jobs

Despite coming up with more money at the last minute, some teachers will stilllose their jobs, with those in their first year the most likely to get pink slips.

"We may look at engaging them in different ways like we did last year, through our career bridging and temporary contracts. But there are 133 of the youngest and brightest who will be affected, who will not have a continuous contract," said John Johnston, a superintendent.

Individual principalswereset to learnabout their school's budgets on Wednesday. Itwill be up tothem to make the job cuts.

Before Tuesday's meeting, school board administrators said theyplanned to cut 324 full-time jobsin the schools by reducing individual school funding, on top of the172 central services staff cuts announced last month.

The cuts were meant to help coverthe $61.7 million budget shortfall in the upcoming school year.

Administrators have now tapped out all available reserve funds, $18.5 million, to make it through the next school year.

During the Tuesday night meeting, Calgary Board of Education trustee Pamela King said: "I have to ask if this the absolute best that we can do for our schools?"

Chief superintendent Johnson replied that the boardcut the 172 full-time central servicesjobs before even considering trimming funding forthe schools.

"We have cut significantly out of learning innovation, out of IT, out of human resources, out of finance and business, out of facilities there will be fewer caretakers in our school next year," she said.

The school board has been criticized for not presenting a full budget for the coming school year. Naomi Johnson said the budget projections are changing daily and final numbers should be available by the end of June.