by Robert Zirgulis

• Robert Zirgulis, among other professions a substitute teacher, told reporters at last night’s School Board meeting that he will run again for a Board seat this summer.

I would like to point out that along with our fine teachers and classified employees hurting from these budget cuts, substitute teachers have been making sacrifices also.  Before I ran for School Board, I was working between 4 and 5 days a week as a substitute teacher.

You know how many days I was called to work for in April?  Two. Thank God I have some other alternative sources of income. Otherwise, it would be disastrous. However, some substitute teachers have had to rely on substitute work, and they aren’t getting it.

I find it reprehensible that teachers, classified and substitutes are making sacrifices and administrators are not.  Do we really need some of these people working 12 months a year?

Instead of cutting teachers and classified employees, I think the School Board should look into creative means of raising money for the school system.

I have previously mentioned that the school district could raise $10 million dollars on a sale leaseback of the natatorium swimming pool that has been a blight for the past 18 years!  The board has been to slow to act on saving electricity costs of $600.000 a year by not installing solar panels.  There was a proposal a year and a half ago which would have had working solar panels installed last year.  As a consequence of delay, the district has spent $600,000 more that could have been used to better our schools.

Again I reiterate, this notion of laying off teachers and classified while not doing any sacrifice for administrators is foolhardy.

Robert Zirgulis