Students Lose Out on Teacher Furloughs

By Lorraine Coca-Ruiz

Furlough days are days on which an employee is normally scheduled to work. But due to administrative and union cooperation, now, the teachers at TMS are required to take furlough day(s) off and not be paid. Apparently, the policy was instituted to save money.

Essentially, students are the ones really losing out—no teaching, no contact. It also means that the school district will have a laundry list of excuses for not meeting AYP. (TMS has not met AYP since it started in 2002.) Did the administration ever stop to think how furlough days would damage teaching and learning?

As per NM state statute 6.62.2.7 DEFINITION: “Full school year” means a minimum of 160 instructional days in a school year or 480 instructional days or equivalent number of days in schools or school districts on alternative schedules over multiple school years of full-time or part-time teaching during which the teacher is the teacher of record

The following is a message to all TMS employees from the Super

Subject: Furlough Days

Please forward to all TMS employees. Thanks.

Dear Colleagues,

The six furlough days* that represent a 3% reduction in our pay may only be taken at the end of the school year. This has been the case all along, but is even more important now that the District may be in a position to “buy” some of these back. Such an agreement is a function of the meet and confer process and PED permission.

The reason for writing to you about this is that the furlough days will appear on our next pay stubs. Please do not interpret this as encouragement or authorization to utilize these days on an as needed basis.

Thanks,

Rod Weston

* The term “furlough day” is not specifically appropriate for use with salaried employees, but has been generally used and understood in our situation.

Sent from my iPad

As per TMS school calendar for the month of May 2012 as amended;

May 17 – Last Day of School

May 18 – Chrysalis HS Graduation

*May 18-25 Furlough Days

May 26 – THS Graduation Day

May 28 – Memorial Day- District Office Closed.

May 29-31 Snow Makeup Days (as needed)

The days our teachers don’t get paid are the days our children don’t get an education.

I’ll be watching.