In response to the drastic budget cuts that the district currently faces, a number of staff positions will be eliminated for the 2011-12 school year.

The administration announced cuts of 12 clerical positions overall, including five from Redwood. All the positions eliminated at Redwood were among the classified staff, which consists of all district employees who are not teachers, administrators or counselors.

As of now, the Redwood staff members who will not be returning next year are Karlene Caldwell, Jean Leutwyler, Ann Jackson, Erica Wild and Dee

Ann Ezcurra.

“I think there were too many cuts among the classified staff,” said Caldwell, a receptionist in the attendance office. “With less support staff available, there will be less help for students, and the people who will be here will be overwhelmed with work.”

Caldwell has worked at Redwood for six years. Her husband taught at Tam High and her son attended Drake.

“We’re a district family. It’s been really sad for me,” Caldwell said. “In a way, I can see how the administration thought [this position] wasn’t that noticeable, but I think next year students will notice a big difference without having somebody in this position. When you take away people, it ends up affecting everybody.”

When the position of a staff member  with seniority is eliminated, that staff member is given the opportunity to take the position of a less experienced employee. Therefore, the elimination of a position does not necessarily coincide with the elimination of that staff member.

Ann Jackson has worked in attendance for three years. Although her position will not be cut, she was bumped by another staff member whose job was eliminated, but has more seniority.

According to Jackson, the administration has not specified as to how they will make up for the eliminated positions.

“I think it will have a big effect on students, especially at the attendance desk,” she said. “There are days at this desk where we will have 250-300 calls during flu season. If the person at this desk has to also be a receptionist and nurse, not all of the work will get done. The quality of work won’t be the same.”

According to Jackson, the classified staff were aware of the cuts that were going to be made since the beginning of the process, although they did not expect such a concentration of cuts among the clerical staff. 

“I don’t think it was fair. I think they targeted all of the lowest paid employees in the district,” she said. “It was all women, all clerks.”

While the cuts were made by the district administration, Caldwell said it was the Redwood administration that was most empathetic throughout the process.

“The administration at Redwood has been extremely supportive,” Caldwell said. “In terms of the district [administration], I feel that they are doing the minimum contractually of what they have to do. There’s not a lot of extending of the heart towards the person getting cut.”