Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.metro From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Reinterpretation of law may end furloughs war Date: Tue, 10 Nov 92 15:13:22 EST Message-ID: \SE B;METROPOLITAN \HD Reinterpretation of law may end furloughs war \BY Darryl Lynette Figueroa \CR THE WASHINGTON TIMES No more class days will be scheduled as furlough days for D.C. school employees if Board of Education officials and some D.C. Council members do what they said they would do at a meeting held yesterday. The new plan hinges on reinterpretation of the furlough law that would allow furlough days to be scheduled in clusters rather than one day a month. Such an interpretation would allow scheduling during spring or summer vacations rather than on school days. The "meeting of the minds" came during a special hearing called by D.C. Council member Hilda Mason, chairman of the Education and Libraries Committee, after months of friction between council and school officials over the issue. Council member William Lightfoot was quicker to accept the change of heart than was Mrs. Mason, who said she was concerned that the school board was "just putting things off" in asking for a reinterpretation of the law. "I'm just glad we have a meeting of the minds when two weeks ago we didn't have," Mr. Lightfoot said, referring to an argumentative Oct. 22 meeting between the two groups. "Let's just say [school officials] have evolved to this point." Superintendent Franklin Smith said he had no choice but to accept the 12 council-ordered furlough days, which are meant to save $18 million. "We don't like it. We don't think it's fair, but seemingly we're not to win that [furlough] battle," he said. The idea of cutting $1.5 million from the budget in exchange for eliminating any furlough days is also out, he said, given that he is already wrestling with cutting between $23 million and $26 million from the 1993 budget, which is in deficit although the school year just started, and making further cuts in proposing a 1994 budget. The cuts for both budgets will involve reducing classroom and other school personnel by 400 employees, he said, both through attrition and through layoffs by the start of the next school year. "Teachers will be the last group we want to review, but given the conditions I face, I can't honestly say they will be exempt," he said. Mr. Smith had tried to get an exemption from furloughs for the city's 6,700 teachers and other school workers before council members passed the law. "The impression was that we would not make the reductions in the manner which they thought we should," Mr. Smith said, meaning by cutting administrative, not program, costs. And so in April the furlough days were imposed on school employees and other city workers to offset a $26 million budget deficit. The ire of school officials was further raised when the council cited police, fire, emergency medical and corrections officers as "essential personnel" thereby exempting them from the furloughs and in requiring that half the savings come from schools. It happened again yesterday when Mrs. Mason referred to public safety employees as "crucial workers." "Now you've got to the heart of the issue," said School Board President R. David Hall. The school board, in turn, upset the council by scheduling four of the 12 furlough days when school was in session. The other eight days fall on teacher preparation days and will not affect students. "If we can get that [legal] interpretation, if we can furlough more than one day per month, we will," Mr. Smith said. Board members were assured that if that means passing emergency legislation to change the language in the law or just having their lawyers talk with the board's attorneys, it will be resolved before Jan. 19, the next furlough day affecting students. The next battleground will be over the school budget, which Mr. Smith said will require closing more schools and possibly consolidating some programs. "You will see more tempers flare," he said. "People get frustrated when there's just not enough money." This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM