Tuolumne Schools Issue 21 Preliminary Pink Slips

Sonora, CA — According to Tuolumne County Superintendent of Schools Joe Silva, 11 full time and ten part employees received preliminary pink slips late last week.

Silva contacted the local schools who had to create a budget by March 15th based on estimates of proposed but not approved federal and state budgets.

Last year 25 teachers in Tuolumne County received a similar pink slip.

The teachers will finish out the school year, but are now notified that they may not have a teaching job after Summer.

The breakdown by school is as follows:

Twain Harte – Two half time Title 1 Teachers
Summerville Elementary – Two full time staff and two part-time staff.
Sonora Elementary – One part time regular ed teacher, one eight hour a week special ed teacher and a part time counselor
Curtis Creek – Three
Jamestown Elementary – One
Sonora High School- One eight hour a week position
Soulsbyville – One full time, one part time
Big Oak Flat – Zero
Summerville High School – Zero
County Schools – Zero
Belleview – Zero
Columbia – Four full time and one eight hour a week position.

Many districts says the layoffs are preliminary. Columbia Elementary had the most in the county. According to Superintendent Dr. John Pendley, he notified the Columbia Elementary teachers, “Only because we do not have enough budget information from the state for 2012-13 and we MUST meet the March 15 deadline for providing notices. We are very confident we will not have to finalize these notices in May.”

According to Silva, statewide 19,500 pink slips were sent out. He said the preliminary notices are a “sign of our economic times”.