Laid-off Dist. 113A Staffers Get Support from Dedicated Volunteers

When 70 staff members were cut from Lemont schools earlier this year, many of them were let go without any job leads or financial support.

The Board of Education for Lemont-Bromberek Combined School District 113A was facing a $2 million budget shortfall and the failure of a $6 million referendum when it voted in March to cut more than $3.5 million in staff salaries and programs for the 2011 fiscal year.

Forty-two teachers, 12 custodians, 12 support staff and four administrators were eliminated across the district's middle school and three elementary schools — a total staff reduction of about 25 percent. Like most districts, District 113A simply could not afford to provide outplacement services for laid-off employees.

Saddened by the referendum loss and the resulting budget cuts, Lemont mom Mary Pollard decided she and other parents had a responsibility to support the district and the departing staff in any way they could.

"It was emotional and we just wanted to do something that helped them and demonstrated our appreciation and support so they knew this community wasn't all against them," Pollard said. "The vote was against them, but the community and the parents were behind them."

In December 2009, Pollard and several other parents formed Citizens for 113A, a political action group dedicated to supporting the district and educating the public. Using contacts from the group and her background in human resources, Pollard immediately began putting together job information and professional services for non-renewed staff members.

"It's something commonly offered in corporate America that when you lose your job you get severance and outplacement services," Pollard said. "That can't be done in public schools because there isn't the money to do it, so we filled that void through volunteer efforts."

Resources compiled by Pollard and other volunteers included Web sites and articles with information about teaching jobs, resume writing and interview skills. They also consulted with several principals and administrators to put together a list of resume and interview "Dos and Don'ts."

In May, Pollard hosted a workshop in which teachers could receive advice from experienced interviewers and recruiters. Following the workshop, Pollard met with several teachers for one-on-one resume critiques and interview practice.

Parent volunteers also provided assistance packing up classrooms, and in a week they raised $700 to purchase Office Max gift cards for the staff to use on resume paper and other job-search supplies.

"It was really nice because these teachers were in a position where they were losing their salaries," River Valley Principal Debra Lynch said. "It was not only very helpful, but just very thoughtful."

The support provided by Pollard and the other parents was unprecedented, said Michelle Nevin, a seventh-grade teacher at Old Quarry Middle School and president of the Local 604 of the American Federation of Teachers.

"Usually in education if you lose your job, you lose your job," Nevin said. "My union person said to me, 'I've never heard of a school doing this,' so I think what Mary and this group did was very unusual."

As of September, roughly 25 of 52 certified employees had found full-or part-time positions in education, and some have found jobs in other fields, Nevin said. Of the 11 employees cut from River Valley, nine have found jobs, Lynch added.

"We got a lot of positive feedback from people going through a very emotional time," Nevin said. "I had a couple people who actually said the questions Mary prepared for them were exact questions they were asked in interviews."

Connie Cremins had been working for three years in the Early Childhood program at Central School when she learned her position was being eliminated. Though she was hesitant to attend the May workshop, she decided she could use help polishing her resume.

"I didn't want to go at first because I thought it was just going to be another reminder of losing my job and how much that hurt," she said. "I decided I needed to take advantage of the opportunity, and it was wonderful. I learned a lot and Mary gave great advice."

In June, Cremins secured a job at an Early Childhood center in Naperville.

Debbie McClafferty was a third-year teacher at River Valley when her job was cut. Though she was disappointed by the news, she said she still "loved the district" and was grateful for Pollard, who McClafferty credited for helping her secure a paraprofessional position just a few weeks ago.

"If it wasn't for them, I don't know what I would have done," McClafferty said. "They've given everything to try to help, and it did 100 percent."

District 113A Superintendent Tim Ricker also expressed his appreciation for the efforts of all the parent volunteers.

"It gave those employees a sense of hope and a sense of their ability to better compete in the job market for education," he said. "The school district was more than supportive of their efforts."

Pollard, who has sons in fourth and fifth grade at River Valley, said she hopes other parents will continue to support the district during its financial difficulties.

"The majority of parents feel that the schools are excellent and the leadership is great and the staff is amazing," she said. "If the money's not there, it's not there, so we have to continue helping in any way we can."