With the end of this school year, many staff members will be either retiring or leaving the school alongside the graduating class.
Staff members such as Lisa Fox, George Engle, and James Richmond will be retiring this year after years of teaching.
However, for other reasons, several other teachers will be departing from Aragon. Temporary teachers in different subject areas will not be returning to teach next year, primarily due to the smaller size of the incoming freshman class.
Unlike teachers granted tenure, new teachers sign annual contracts that are liable to termination after one year. All new teachers thus begin as temporary teachers, regardless of their subject course, background, or intended duration of stay.
Teachers maintain their positions due mainly to seniority; staying power is granted primarily on the basis of years spent teaching. Of this, band director Troy Davis says, “It is all just a numbers game.”
It is important to note, however, that such cuts are not results of severe state budget cuts on the district.
The school district, unlike most in the nation, is financed through a revenue limit model. This means that instead of receiving a large portion of its finances from the state, most of the money comes in through property taxes. For the most part, the money from these taxes has remained stable.
However, a portion of the school’s budget is nevertheless funded by the state. Most notably, special education and the GATE programs have been affected because of the state’s decision to cut back on them. Yet, the school itself possesses a surplus “emergency fund” to rely on in the face of state cuts. These funds have not been prominently tapped into this year, though there is a possibility they will be utilized more heavily the next school year.
It seems that the school currently is fairly stable; however, conditions will worsen if state budget problems persist. Building President for Aragon of the Teacher’s Association of the San Mateo Union High School District and history teacher Douglas McGlashan says, “We are not being hurt as badly as other districts, but [there are] still significant cutbacks. Something has got to give if this continues.”
Thus, district and state budget issues are not the primary factor for the temporary teachers to be leaving this year. Instead, the decline in freshman enrollment is the cause for the cutting back of several departments at Aragon.
Honors Chinese teacher Sonya Yu is amongst those first year teachers who will be leaving at the end of their one year contract. Due to the smaller student body next year, Chinese classes will be consolidated and all taught by Qi Fan.
Like other temporary teachers, Yu will continue teaching her subject, but as a part time teacher elsewhere. In spite of her short tenure at the school, Yu remains positive about life ahead. She says, “Although it is really challenging to teach in high school, I love my honors class very much… For me, it is like teaching [is] great experience. To get to know the world to and to live is my philosophy.”
