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Schools

Lakewood School Board OKs Plan to Cut Personnel Spending, Extend School Year

District officials say the move will reduce costs while improving students' academic achievement.

The Lakewood Board of Education unanimously approved an agreement with the Lakewood Teachers Association to cut pay raises while increasing the output of some faculty and staff.

The agreement will give teachers a 2 percent raise in their base salary next year and no raise in the 2012-13 school year, said. 

Teachers will still be eligible to receive pay increases based on experience and years employed by the district. 

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“I very much appreciate the effort that went into this by the administration, the teachers and the staff,” board member Betsy Shaughnessy said. “It moves us forward in a difficult time with respect for each other, respect for what teachers do and respect for what the community can afford.” 

The agreement will also extend the school year by a day, increase the output of part-time teachers and will offer an extra day of professional development. 

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School officials have made another $8.2 million in cuts in personnel and operations over the last three years. 

These large reductions — which included cutting 62 faculty and staff member positions last year through layoffs and attrition — have kept  out of serious financial trouble for at least the 2011-12 school year. Lakewood and other school districts across the statre are bracing against deep state funding losses expected in the next two years. 

“Even though we are in a good position academically and financially at this point, our goal is, as we emerge from this economic recession that we find ourselves in the middle of,  is to be even better by the time we get there,” Madak said. 

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