Nearly 400 Phila. teachers plan to leave as school year ends

Nearly 400 teachers have informed the Philadelphia School District they plan on resigning or retiring at the end of this school year.

The 395 who notified the district of their plans to leave is less than the 490 who left the district after the 2009-10 school year, according to a teachers' union official.

Still, more may raise their hands. Teachers are asked to inform the district of their plans by April 15, but they can still put in paperwork to resign or retire.

Those numbers are crucial because the district is facing a $629 million budget gap and has said that unless new government funding materializes, it needs 1,260 fewer teachers next year. In all, it plans on shedding 3,820 jobs, both at the school and central office levels.

It is not yet clear how many layoffs will occur, because employees have until July 1 to notify the district if they plan to take advantage of an early retirement offer.

Also, the district does not yet know how much funding it will receive from the state, whose legislature has until June 30 to pass a budget.

Layoff notices do not need to be sent until June 30, according to the union.

Other planned cuts include some counselors, nurses, aides, full-day kindergarten, and virtually all transportation. Class sizes will also rise, officials warned.

The first of a series of citywide hearings on the budget is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Meredith Elementary, 725 S. Fifth St.

The School Reform Commission is set to vote on the 2011-12 budget on May 31.