8/27/13 - The Brighton Board of Education is recalling 4.5 teachers who had been laid off earlier due to declining enrollment. Superintendent Greg Gray tells WHMI the school district always issues layoff notices to more teachers than necessary, so that some, or most, can be recalled if needed. Gray says the reason for the callbacks is that kindergarten registrations are considerably up for the fall term. He says that may be due to a combination of factors, including younger families moving in to the district, improvements taking place from the $88 million bond issue, and Brightonâs excellent academic reputation. Brighton has all-day kindergarten for the third year in a row this year. Also, a half-day classroom has been added this year for those parents who prefer half-day kindergarten for their child. There are nearly 300 teachers in the Brighton School district. School starts on Tuesday, September 3rd with a full day for all students except kindergartners. Both teaching and non-teaching staff will meet this Thursday at 8 a.m. at the high school stadium for orientation. Gray will address employees with a rundown on what has been accomplished with the $88 million bond issue and plans for the upcoming school year. The Brighton Education Association and BESPA, which represents non-certified staff, will each have a meeting at 10 a.m. to discuss new legislation and how it affects the school district. Teachers in Brighton are now in the second year of a 2-year contract. Those with the most number of years in the district, who are no longer on âstepsâ, are in line for a 2% salary increase, and those still on âstepsâ will get a 1% raise. However, BEA President Ellen Lafferty says thatâs misleading, since teachersâ salaries have been reduced by 7%, not including give-backs, during the last several years. But Lafferty concedes those reductions and other cuts have been needed to âright the shipâ to erase the legacy deficit.(TT)
↧