Donna school board OKs more job cuts

DONNA —More than 100 additional school district employees will be out of a job by the end of next month.

On Wednesday, the Donna school board voted 4-3 to approve a district financial and personnel restructuring plan that called for almost $8 million in cuts, including eliminating 229 school positions.

About 100 of those jobs have already been eliminated by not hiring to fill open spots, district officials said, and the school system laid off 30 cafeteria services employees earlier this year.

Several people who attended Wednesday’s meeting said they believed board members past and present have offered jobs to people who helped them get elected. Overhiring bloated the district’s payroll by more than 500 people, according to the state’s recommended ratio of staff to students.

Though they stopped short of saying jobs were given as political favors, trustees acknowledged that the district did create jobs for people.

“We created these jobs for these people … and now (the district’s school children) are paying the price,” said Trustee Mike Flores, who voted for the plan. “It’s not about getting a job. It’s about doing what’s right for the kids.”

The cuts will reduce the district’s workforce by about 9 percent, and would primarily affect school support staff, officials said.

While the district is not in dire financial trouble yet, it only has a fund balance of $4.5 million -- $22.5 million less than the state recommends for a district of its size.

Consultants hired to analyze the staffing situation told the board that the district kept hiring people as it received more money from the state and federal governments for various programs. But in recent years, grant money has run out and, like other districts throughout the state, Donna’s revenues began to shrink.

“We can’t continue to create jobs for people and provide day care … because it has siphoned money out of the classrooms,” said Ann Dixon, one of the consultants.

Though consultants found ways to save money in other areas, personnel took the biggest hit because it makes up about 80 percent of the school system’s budget.

Trustees Dennis Ramirez and Ernest Lugo, who both voted against the plan, expressed their concern over the number of employees the plan would affect. They asked consultants if there were other ways to cut expenses without eliminating so many jobs.

“We want to save the district. We want to do the right thing and we will do the right thing,” Lugo said. “(It’s ) not fair to our employees.”

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Jennifer L. Berghom covers education and general assignments for The Monitor. She can be reached at (956) 683-4462.