O’Fallon and Shiloh school districts issue RIF notices, 30 for District 90

Local school districts are going through annual reduction in force notices with district school staff and teachers. Employees who receive a RIF notice may or may not be hired back the following school year, and by law, RIF notices must be given by the end of March where there is a possibility they may not be hired back.

Shiloh SD 85

Shiloh School District 85 Board of Education issued seven RIF notices for full-time, certified and non-certified teachers and support staff from its two schools during its monthly meeting March 20. Of those, four are for certified teachers at Shiloh Middle School, and three are for non-certified support staff employees from Shiloh Elementary School. Illinois Report Card lists about 587 students being served by about 38 teachers.

Certified staff:

▪ Terri Foster, seventh-grade math teacher

▪ Kenyon Henderson, seventh- and eighth-grade science teacher

▪ Amanda Kowalczyk, sixth-grade language arts, social studies and science teacher

▪ Julia Siegler, eighth-grade full-time language arts teacher

Non-Certified staff:

▪ Takiya Thompson, pre-kindergarten assistant

▪ Brittany Warnecke, individual care assistant

▪ Otis Woodard, individual care assistant

“We have several sections in a number of grade levels that student enrollment simply cannot be determined prior to registration in the summer due to our mobility rate,” Dale Sauer, superintendent, said.

Sauer said the reinstatement of the positions are solely dependent on student enrollment and needs for 2017-2018 school year.

“In order to be to be prudent in these uncertain economic times, many school boards are put in a position to make decisions in March by statute awaiting budgetary and enrollment answers that typically come in July,” he added.

O’Fallon CCSD 90

O’Fallon Community Consolidated School District 90 issued 30 RIF notices during its March 21 monthly Board of Education meeting, which is just one more than last year’s RIF notices.

“District 90 honorably dismissed three professional educator licensed employees, and at the March 21 meeting,” Carrie Hruby, superintendent, said.

The district has a total of eight elementary and junior high schools and one pre-K center with about 181 full-time equivalent teachers serving about 3,515 enrolled students, according to its Illinois Report Card.

Certified staff:

▪ Jennifer Seely, first-grade teacher at J.E. Hinchcliffe

▪ Michelle Schoewbel, fifth-grade teacher at Marie Schaefer

▪ Stacey Cutter, second-grade teacher at Marie Schaefer

These three staff members were hired into “class size reduction” teaching positions last August, Hruby said.

Non-Certified staff:

▪ Kholoud Almofleh, early childhood aide, Moye; Tamara Andreasen, individual care aide, E.K.; Jane Bayne, program aide, E.K.; LuJuana Bruner, program aide, Moye; Tina Grinnell, program aide, Carriel; Joellen Hackmann, program aide, Hinchcliffe; Talley Hanson, program aide, Hinchcliffe; Cheryl Harris, individual care aide E.K.; Linda Hubatchek, at risk pre-k, Evans; Denise Huller, at risk, Evans; Sheila Kelly, program aide, Moye; Amy Kennell, individual care aide, E.K.; Sooyeon Kim, early childhood program aide, Moye; Sidney Koch, program aide, Marie Schaefer; Bridgette Korenek, early childhood program aide, Moye; Sarah McVay, individual care aide, E.K.; Ashley Michaels, individual care aide, E.K.; Ryan Moureau, part-time study hall supervisor, Carriel; Megan Rakers, program aide, Hinchcliffe; Georgian Sczurek, program aide, Moye; Breann Shaffer, program aide, Fulton; Megan Shaw, early childhood program aide, Moye; Stefanie Strong, program aide, Marie Schaefer; Kyle Sutton-Forte, program aide, Moye; Nicole Underwood, program aide, Marie Schaefer; Dana Weisenbach, program aide, Moye; Laketa Winn, program aide, Hinchcliffe.

“On June 30, 2016, the Illinois General Assembly passed legislation to fully fund general state aid to K-12 schools for FY17, which was the first time in seven years,” Hruby said. “District 90 decided to use a portion of the funds to reduce class sizes, which we know is a priority for parents, staff, administration and the board.”

She said, at the July 2016 BOE meeting, the board approved the recommendation to add the three class size reduction teaching positions.

“We articulated to the parents, staff, and the three we hired, that the positions would be reduced in the spring of 2017, unless the General Assembly reallocated full funding for FY18 or another funding source could be identified (much like grant-funded positions that are reduced until the grant is secured the following year),” Hruby explained.

The district also routinely honorably dismisses non-certified employees and then rehires them in the summer after we know our student needs and enrollment figures, she noted.

Central Sschool District 104

Central School District 104 issued five RIFs for certified and non-certified staff members from Joseph Arthur Middle School and Central Elementary School during the Board of Education’s monthly meeting March, of which none are licensed teachers, according to John Bute, superintendent. All are full-time employees except for Mary Pyeatt. Illinois Report Card lists approximately 616 students being served by 48 teachers.

Certified staff:

▪ Becky Watson, a social worker at JAMS

Non-Certified staff:

▪ Denise Gurlen, program assistant at JAMS

▪ Mary Pyeatt, program assistant at CES

▪ Billy Sullivan, program assistant at JAMS

▪ Emilie True, program assistant at CES

“None are grant funded. There is no expectation of recall in August, unless financial constraints or student enrollment,” Bute said.

Two of the full-time support staff are supported by a grant this year, Gurlen and Sullivan, Bute said.

“District 104 is not in any better financial shape than other area school districts,” he said.

O’Fallon Township High SD 203

O’Fallon Township High School School District 203 issued seven RIFs, completely eliminating one full-time licensed teacher, and drawing back the hours of four full-time licensed teachers to part-time status for the 2017-18 school year. Family and consumer science teacher Jessica Day is scheduled to be rehired in the health department at the April 20 BOE meeting, according to BOE documents.

Nicole Witty’s role as art teacher has been reduced even more from part-time to a lesser part-time position. LeAnn Reibold’s position as a hearing interpreter will be eliminated next year also. There are about 2,441 students being served by 133 teachers, according to Illinois Report Card.

Certified staff:

▪ Bradley Copelin, math teacher and the freshman boys basketball coach

▪ Olivia Waters, math teacher

▪ Jessica Day, family and consumer science teacher

▪ William Robert Garrison, social studies teacher

▪ Katherine Wolf, English teacher

▪ Nicole Witty, art teacher

Non-Certified staff:

▪ LeAnn Reibold, hearing interpreter

“Reductions in force are always very difficult. It is with heavy heart that we have to reduce any members of the OTHS family,” Darcy Benway, superintendent, said.

This story was originally published April 4, 2017 at 4:54 PM with the headline "O’Fallon and Shiloh school districts issue RIF notices, 30 for District 90."