Newberg superintendent taking two-month leave, board prepares for layoffs to confront budget crisis
The district faces a $3.7 million shortfall for the current school year and a $10.7 million gap next year. The board said the superintendent downplayed the problem. Newberg School District Superintendent Stephen Phillips is taking unplanned medical leave for two months, with an interim appointment taking over operations. The district is facing a $3.7 million shortfall for the current school year and a $10.7 billion gap for the next year, according to the school board. Paula Radich, former Newberg superintendent, will take over as acting superintendent. The board alleges that Phillips downplayed the financial deficit and downplayed it. The announcement comes amid calls for Phillips' resignation, with some blaming him for the budget crisis. Board members also plan to cut up to 60 full-time positions from the district, although the number has not been specified.
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The district faces a $3.7 million shortfall for the current school year and a $10.7 million gap next year. The board said the superintendent downplayed the problem.
NEWBERG, Ore. — Newberg School District superintendent Stephen Phillips is taking unplanned medical leave for two months, with an interim appointee taking over operations starting Wednesday. The district's school board announced the news and confirmed former Newberg superintendent Paula Radich as acting superintendent at a meeting Tuesday evening.
The board claimed in a letter last month that it only recently learned the district faces a nearly $3.7 million funding shortfall for the current school year and a $10.7 million gap for next year, and board members expressed hope that Radich can help stabilize the situation. She agreed to do the job for free as a volunteer, the board said, at least for the next two months.
Board members said they only learned about Phillips' decision to step away on Monday. The announcement comes as some parents have been calling for his resignation, placing much of the blame for the budget crisis on his shoulders. The board itself implied similar blame last month, stating that it had previously been "regularly assured" by Phillips that the shortfall could be managed through savings from retirements and voluntary staff departures.
That's no longer the case; Tuesday's meeting also included an announcement of upcoming layoffs, with board members discussing cutting as many as 60 full-time positions from the district, although the number has not been finalized. The board voted to formally notify the teachers union about the plan.
"I am sorry to those who will be losing their jobs," board member James Wolfer said. "This was not your fault."
"I didn't want people to lose their jobs," board member Jeremy Hayden added, visibly emotional. "Many of you know, this has impacted us already, my family, and I don't wish that upon anybody else."
Onderwerpen: Unemployment