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Painful Choice: Layoff Or Pay Cuts?

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By ADAM EMERSON

aemerson@tampatrib.com

Published: January 17, 2009

TAMPA - If given a choice, would Hillsborough County school employees choose layoffs and salary cuts to help close a multimillion-dollar deficit, or would they take a few days off without pay?

As the head of the teachers union put it, it's like asking, "Would you rather cut off your right arm or your left leg?"

Not surprisingly, most would take neither.
School officials circulated a survey to its 25,000 employees this week, asking for their thoughts on the grim options they're considering to save as much as $55 million.

About half replied - mostly teachers - and they overwhelmingly rejected most of the ideas.

Whatever the district decides, administrators wanted the feedback because the budget cuts are going to affect everyone.

Such brainstorming during times of financial crises is becoming more common among public agencies. Florida' Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, for instance, changed the color of the orange stem on state license places, saving thousands of dollars. The idea came after managers asked employees for cost-saving advice.

But school districts have to save more than a few thousand dollars. When they finished their work this week, state lawmakers passed a savings package that left a $500 million hole in the budgets for Florida's school systems.

Stephen Hegarty, the spokesman for Hillsborough schools, said employees have watched as neighboring school districts have taken painful steps to close their deficits.

"So far, we have been able to avoid these alternatives, but if the budget continues to worsen, these are the kinds of painful choices we'll have to make," he said.

Reporter Adam Emerson can be reached at (813) 259-8285.

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