District to Pink Slip 48 Teachers
As part of budgetary measures to be discussed at the Dearborn School Board meeting Monday night, 48 teachers could be cut from the district’s roster.
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Forty-eight teachers and two non-instructional staff members will be sidelined from the classroom if a measure to lay them off is approved by the Dearborn Public Schools Board of Education Monday night.
According to the agenda released by schools officials Monday morning, the district is seeking to lay off teachers at several of its facilities that teach virtually all subjects. The layoffs are under way because of “budget constraints for the 2011-2012 school year, and due to the reappointment of teachers returning from leaves of absence, in accordance with the agreement between the Dearborn Board of Education and the Dearborn Federation of Teachers.”
The layoffs, if approved, will be effective June 30–the date by which the district must submit a balanced budget to the State of Michigan.
The board is also expected to discuss other facets of its budget at Monday night’s meeting.
In May, the district and the Dearborn Federation of Teachers, which represents 1,200 teachers, struck a deal for a labor agreement in which teachers accepted a new, fixed-cost benefits system and agreed to take pay cuts of up to 7 percent.
Prior to the agreement, the district was facing a $22 million shortfall for the 2011-12 school year, which was reduced to about $3 million after the deal was inked.
DFT representatives were not immediately available for comment.
The meeting will take place at the district’s Administrative Services Center at 7 p.m. Monday night, located at 18700 Audette.
Here is a list of all 48 teachers set to be laid off:
| Name | School | Position |
|
Agemy, Dawn |
Bryant/Stout |
Departmental Bilingual Teacher |
|
Alaouieh, Saada |
Salina Elementary |
Departmental Bilingual Teacher |
|
Altahif, Eiman |
Salina Elementary |
Departmental Bilingual Teacher |
|
Astfalk, Jennifer |
Howe |
Departmental Occupational Therapist |
|
Aun, Ndieh |
McDonald |
Departmental Bilingual Teacher |
|
Bahena, Lynn |
Edsel Ford |
Mathematics Teacher |
|
Bazzi, Mohamed T. |
Fordson |
Economics/Government Teacher |
|
Bazzi, Nicole |
McCollough/Unis |
Oral Language Teacher |
|
Berry, Mariam |
Becker |
Enrichment Teacher |
|
Bescoe, Erin |
McCollough/Unis |
Elementary Teacher |
|
Brown, Martin |
Bryant |
Mathematics/Language Arts Teacher |
|
Cibasek, Kelly |
Haigh |
Elementary Teacher |
|
Elder, Ameena |
William Ford |
Departmental Bilingual Teacher |
|
Faraj, Hanaa |
Maples |
Elementary Teacher |
|
Gutierrez, Elizabeth |
Geer Park |
Elementary Teacher |
|
Hamka, Hala |
Fordson |
Government Teacher |
|
Hammoud, Ahmed |
Fordson |
Industrial Arts Teacher |
|
Hamstra, Christine |
Howe |
Departmental Physical Therapist |
|
Harb, Diana |
William Ford |
Elementary Teacher |
|
Hassna, Rana |
Stout |
Science Teacher |
|
Hill, Angela |
Maples |
Elementary Teacher |
|
Hmayed, Nancy |
Dearborn |
History Teacher |
|
Ilayan, Nada |
McDonald |
Departmental Bilingual Teacher |
|
Isham, Angela |
McDonald |
Elementary Teacher |
|
Keimig, Elizabeth |
William Ford |
Elementary Teacher |
|
Klawender, Norman |
Dearborn |
Mathematics Teacher |
|
Kolin, Kristina |
Salina Elementary |
Departmental GRSP Teacher |
|
Kubicek, Mary |
Woodworth |
Language Arts Teacher |
|
Layson, Jennifer |
Stout |
Physical Education Teacher |
|
Lytle, Kendra |
Fordson |
Mathematics Teacher |
|
Mehrhof, Kandi-Kay |
Nowlin |
Elementary Teacher |
|
Moslimani, Alexandria |
McCollough/Unis |
Departmental Bilingual Teacher |
|
Mozham, Diebh |
Henry Ford |
Elementary Teacher |
|
Murray, Robert |
Dearborn |
Social Studies Teacher |
|
Naura, Eman |
Michael Berry Career Center |
Social Studies Teacher |
|
Polgar, Juliann |
Howe |
Montessori Teacher |
|
Qasem, Ramiah |
Miller |
Departmental Bilingual Teacher |
|
Quine, Eric |
Stout |
Physical Education Teacher |
|
Rednic, Carmen |
Fordson |
Departmental Bilingual Teacher |
|
Riggs, Michael |
Michael Berry Career Center |
Social Studies Teacher |
|
Saleh, Lila |
Fordson |
Language Arts Teacher |
|
Schleif, Matthew |
Edsel Ford |
Social Studies Teacher |
|
Stegner, Amanda |
Snow |
Elementary Teacher |
|
Tawile, Jean-Michel |
Bryant |
English/Social Studies Teacher |
|
Vertregt, Alison |
McDonald |
Departmental Bilingual Teacher |
|
Vigilante, Michael |
Bryant |
Physical Education Teacher |
|
Williams, Jennifer |
Dearborn |
Art Teacher |
|
Zandani, Kadygh |
Fordson |
Departmental Bilingual Teacher |
Watch Dearborn Patch Monday night for updates on this story from the Board of Education meeting.
Frank Lee
2:38 pm on Monday, June 13, 2011
This is great. Lay off more teachers, create even bigger class sizes, and create an environment that is already stressed completely broken. Where are the priorities of our elected leaders, school board, and our teachers. This is not a situation that happened overnight and each person involved in making educational decisions for our children has to look beyond their own political self interest. Instead each faction is doubling down on their own failed rhetoric. The children will pay the price and in the end society will suffer.
Lee Jacobsen
3:10 pm on Monday, June 13, 2011
Frank, you are on a roll....in addition, the teachers let go will probably be the better ones, as layoffs are dictated by seniority and not based on 'merit'. With less teachers, are any administrative surplus staff on the chopping block as well?
Parents need to be more involved, and there should be penalties for disruptive behavior in class by their children.
I know the law requires society to teach our kids up to the age of 16, which is why private schools have an advantage, if the kid 'acts up' too many times, they are kicked out. Can't kick out a public school kid troublemaker, nor lift a hand to them, but it does not prevent innovative administration to isolate them to 'troublemaker' classes, where teachers who are just 'coasting' until retirement can be put to use 'babysitting'. This concept works in other states. Here is a site that discusses the issue from the union and charter school sides. http://mikeblake-myopinions.blogspot.com/2010/05/state-teachers-union-attacks-charter.html
My guess is that the teachers won't be laid off after all. Odd ball costs such as 'justification ' allowances and other equally antique expenses will be finally purged from the budget to pay for the teachers. In the end, the parents are responsible for their kids and should have the power, with their state voucher money, to shop for the best schools. Schools will have to 'compete' for students, and competition means efficiency, something the govt badly needs.
Yolanda travis
1:20 am on Friday, July 22, 2011
Kandi mehrhof was one of best teachers in dearborn district that is terrible to let her go ..the children at Nowlin need her she was even voted best teacher by one of her students how could you do this !!!! Bring her back !!!!