ificated personnel may lose their jobs with the Manteca Unified School District.

Pink Slip Monday – the state-mandated deadline of March 15 for school districts statewide to send preliminary notices to teachers and other certified groups of possible layoffs for the upcoming school year –impacts all schools including the Lindbergh Adult Center.

Included among the 68 layoff notices were 37 single subject positions, 10 elementary school teachers, eight Title I instructors, seven Read 180 teachers, three Title II (Part A, block schedule, high school),  and two School Readiness program coordinator positions, to name a few.

If a district doesn’t issue the preliminary layoffs by March 15 for the upcoming 2010-11 school year, state law essentially guarantees teachers a job for another year even if the school district lacks adequate funding.

The Manteca layoffs are a direct result of declining state funding due to the never-ending state budget deficit that is now projected at $20 billion over the next 14 months.

District Superintendent Jason Messer said at last week’s school board meeting that Manteca Unified remains hopeful of rescinding many of the notices.

He noted that some of the teaching positions listed were categorically funded and could be reinstated once the money earmarked for those spots are made available.

The state Department of Education, meanwhile, announced that 22,000 teachers and staff were scheduled to receive layoff notices.

That’s pending the plan for $2.4 billion in cuts to California’s public education following massive cuts during the past three years, resulting in tens of thousands of teachers and other staff members losing their jobs.
Last year, more than 16,000 teachers lost their jobs along with about 10,000 classified employees.

“Effective teachers are the most essential element to student success,” Jack O’Connell, the state superintendent of schools, said in his press release.

He added, “While I understand the governor and the legislature have tough decisions to make, these budget cuts are devastating our schools and impacting our ability to do the most important job in our society, that is, to teach our children.”

The Manteca Educators Association and other such groups a year ago held a “Pink Friday” rally at North Main Street and Louise Avenue.

The purpose here was to raise public awareness of the preliminary layoff notices issued to 259 MUSD teachers as part of the budget shortfall. The district rescinded a portion of those notices for various reasons including slightly larger than expected enrollment numbers.

To reach reporter Vince Rembulat, e-mail vrembulat@mantecabulletin.com