Teachers facing layoffs

ATHENS, Ga. --- School districts in northeast Georgia aren't laying off teachers yet, but most are reviewing or changing policies that will allow them to fire veteran teachers if they need to.

The policies make seniority less of a priority when deciding who to keep and who to let go -- part of a trend that started more than 10 years ago to allow school districts to keep newer teachers with promise even if they had to cut positions.

Last week, the Clarke County Board of Education began to take public comment on a new policy that would replace a 25-year- old rule that made seniority the only factor when eliminating jobs.

In January, the Oconee County school board made similar changes to its policy, deciding to use a ranking system for seniority as a secondary measure to evaluate the value of an employee.

The state has reduced funding for public schools across the board by 2 percent this year. Next year's plans call for an additional 3 percent reduction.

To make up for funding cuts, schools are freezing hiring and aren't replacing many teachers who retire or move away.

At the same time, property values and sales tax revenues are stagnant, meaning there is likely to be less local money for schools.

As administrators consider cutting staff, some systems are revisiting their policies to make sure they can keep teachers with stellar records and teachers who can coach or have an in-demand specialty such as special education, even if they have fewer years on the job.

School boards in Barrow, Jackson and Madison counties tweaked their policies a few years ago. Under the newer policies, even tenured teachers who work in a district for more than four years aren't guaranteed they'll keep their jobs, said Phil Hartley, an attorney for the Georgia School Boards Association.