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73 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, August 3, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend July 29, 2004 Medford cuts teaching aides School district sends 36 elementary school teaching assistants packing, leaves 14 positions available By ANITA BURKE Mail Tribune Three dozen classroom aides won’t go back to school this fall. The Medford school district sent 36 layoff notices to teaching assistants in elementary schools this week as a cost-cutting measure. Only 14 such assistant jobs remain, officials said. Assistants who help teach English as a second language and those who work in high schools and middle schools won’t be affected by the cuts. "My job is going to be tougher this year," said Cheryl Lashley, who teaches a combined second- and third-grade class at Howard Elementary — with the help of an aide in past years. "They are a very integral part of the classroom." In Lashley’s combined class, her aide often worked on an assignment with one group of students while Lashley gave a daily lesson to another group, she said. Advertisement As the district trimmed $6.2 million from its budget, the teachers’ union agreed to larger classes with less help from aides. The district then opened negotiations with the Medford chapter of the Oregon School Association, the union that represents school employees other than teachers, including aides, custodians and secretaries. The union and district considered wage concessions and changes to health insurance premium payments to try to save jobs. "We couldn’t effect any positive impact," said union President Duane Steinhorst, a technician with the district. Therefore, the contract remains unchanged. Dan Zaklan, district personnel director, said most of the layoff notices simply informed aides that their positions were being cut. A few aides with seniority and experience will have the option to move into other jobs, such as campus monitors. If they choose to transfer, the employees displaced by the switches will be notified in coming weeks, he said. "This is a very difficult time," Steinhorst said. "Many of these people have spent as long as 20 years with the district and are loyal to public education." A committee of teachers and administrators is meeting to figure out how to assign the remaining aides, said Lashley, president-elect of the teachers’ union. They will develop criteria based on class sizes, student behavior, reading levels and poverty in the school’s neighborhood. Final decisions about where classroom helpers are needed won’t be made until after school starts. "They will be used to target math and reading because those are skills needed for academic success," Lashley said of the remaining assistants. "They’ll help with big classes and kids that need extra TLC." The elimination of aides will be hard on kids, she said. An assistant who reads with a student or sees them every day in the lunchroom or on the playground can become a favorite person in a child’s school day. "I want to stress how much they are valued, how important they are to what goes on in the classroom with the kids," Lashley said. Reach reporter Anita Burke at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times