By Eileen Buckley
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wbfo/local-wbfo-982849.mp3
Buffalo, NY – The Buffalo Board of Education will be meeting in emergency session late Monday afternoon.
School board members will resume a conversation from last week's special session to try and rehire 104 teachers who were recently laid off.
A resolution was submitted last week by school board member Ralph Hernandez. It called on the schools superintendent to rehire the laid off classroom teachers effective immediately.
But the resolution was tabled and will be taken up again Monday at 4:30 p.m.
Superintendent James Williams suggested the emergency session be held. Williams made that request less than 20-minutes after the board voted to accept his resignation last week.
Williams noted that they must review the budget numbers and changes would need control board approval.
"Remember Race to the Top, where we have $9 million, and in Race to the Top there are some positions that we have to hire. So we are working through that, so there are some people who will be called back through that process," said Williams
The District issued the layoffs because it is receiving less state and federal aid. Some board members want the district to use its rainy day fund to return the teachers.
But board member Chris Jacobs has another idea. Jacobs wants to call on the Buffalo Teachers Federation to relinquish it's long-time cosmetic rider for just this year to help pay for returning the laid off classroom teachers.
The rider will cost the district $5.4 million this year. The district needs $5.8 million to rehire the teachers.
"The head of the Teachers Federation has said he would be willing to get rid of the benefit as part of a negotiated contract but not anytime prior to that," said Jacobs.
The school board would like to rehire the teachers before the new school year.
Board member Hernandez said the teachers are the "heart and soul" of the District's school buildings.