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Missoula County Public Schools delays rehiring 36 teachers until ‘budget needs’ clarified

Missoula County Public Schools formally notified 36 non-tenured teachers on Tuesday, March 27, that their teaching contracts would not be renewed for the 2012-13 school year until the District can better determine the level of programs and services that can be supported in next year’s elementary and high school general fund budgets.

The District is projecting an elementary general fund budget of $31.8 million and a high school general fund budget of $26.9 million for the 2012-13 school year. Historically, between 88 and 91 percent of these budgets is spent on employee salaries and benefits alone. The District provides more than 1,200 jobs in the community.

The District has postponed the rehiring of the non-tenured teachers, some of which are new to the District this year, to provide flexibility in the next several weeks as it continues to outline its budget needs. MCPS is currently in contract negotiations with its certified teachers’ union, and will also need to negotiate a contract with its classified employees’ union for the next school year. In addition, administrators are currently determining the costs of employee benefits, such as health and dental insurance (which is negotiated), as well as the projected costs for various educational programs. Other factors, such as federal funding for Title I and special education programs, can also impact the development of the budgets.

"We will renew the majority of these contracts as soon as we know that the general fund budgets can support these positions," said Superintendent Alex Apostle. "These are good teachers who are valued; the district invests in them through leadership and professional development. We don’t want to lose them."

The District’s Board of Trustees will hold budget work sessions through the spring. Trustees will meet at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 27, at the Business Building, 915 South Avenue West in Missoula, to discuss the current budget scenario. The final budgets must be adopted by the Board in early August.

For additional information, please contact Steve McHugh at 728-2400, ext. 1038.

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