Students
Parents
Employees
News from the Superintendent: November 7, 2008
Special Message
November 6, 2008
Dear APS Employees,
On
Monday, Nov. 10, we will impose a hiring freeze of non-school
personnel. The hiring freeze will not affect teachers, counselors,
school custodians, educational assistants or other school-based
personnel. Those positions will continue to be filled as needed.
There
won’t be any layoffs or cutbacks and this is not a reduction in the
work force; only vacant positions will be affected. The positions
impacted most by the hiring freeze will be administrative,
instructional support and maintenance and operation.
Given the
current state of the economy in New Mexico and nationwide, I feel it’s
in our best interest to tighten our belts now. In looking ahead to the
upcoming legislative session, we face a budget next year with little,
if any, growth. That’s our reality.
These reductions also will allow the district to build a stronger reserve balance to ensure long-term financial stability.
APS
now has about 20 vacancies it won’t fill, though that number could
double by the end of the school year based on staff turnover in
previous years. We estimate that the hiring freeze could save about $1
million.
Only positions paid for with operational funds will be
impacted. Therefore, the hiring freeze will not directly affect
positions funded with capital money or federal funds, such as grants,
title programs and special education.
We will reconsider the
“freeze” in case-by-case situations if an argument can be made as to
the critical need to fill a position. The decision to hire a non-school
employee during this time will be made by me at City Centre; Linda Sink
at curriculum and instructional support sites; and Brad Winter at
maintenance and operations sites.
In an effort to be as
pro-active as possible in avoiding budget problems down the line, we
have put a budget team in place – made up of principals, union
representatives and district administrators – that is meeting regularly
to find additional cost savings for the district.
If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me at superintendent@aps.edu.
Sincerely,
Winston Brooks, Superintendent
