NEW: Providence Teacher Firings vs. Layoffs – What’s the Difference?

NEW: Providence Teacher Firings vs. Layoffs – What’s the Difference?

What’s the difference between terminating and laying off all the teachers in the district?

A lot, it turns out—at least according to a fact sheet the Mayor’s office issued today.

A teacher who is laid off—and does not end up getting their job back—ends up in a special pool of substitute teachers, technically known as Regulars in Pool, or “R’s in pool.”

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The school district currently has 45 such teachers in the pool. In 2009, there were as many as 100—there is no limit to how many teachers can be in the pool. Those teachers receive benefits and are paid $25,600 more a year than other long-term substitutes. “With no limit, and in anticipation of the number of positions that could be eliminated through school closures, the number of ‘R’s in pool’ could balloon,” the Mayor’s office said.

Because of this, Taveras says that laying off teachers would not have actually saved money. His office offered the following hypothetical scenario to make its point:

• Take this example: If Providence closes six schools and lays off 200 teachers, each of these teachers could become an “R in pool.” This would create an unprecedented cost to the district: 200 teachers, multiplied by full salary and benefits at approximately $100,000 each, equaling $20 million. In this scenario, closing schools would not save the City money.

• Dismissals enable the district to end its financial obligation to an individual completely if that person’s classroom teaching position is no longer needed. By issuing dismissal notices instead of layoffs, the district will eliminate the category of “R’s in pool” and stave off a potential financial liability of over $20 million.

State law requires that the city notify teachers of any possible changes to their employment by March 1.

"Given the March 1 deadline, and in light of the unprecedented fiscal crisis facing the City of Providence, City and school officials had a fiduciary responsibility to protect the taxpayers of Providence against exposure to such a significant liability," Taveras' office said.