JOHNSTOWN - Fourteen full-time and two part-time employees are losing their jobs at the Hamilton-Fulton-Montgomery Board of Cooperative Education Services.
Teacher aides, occupational therapists, speech therapists, psychologists and health and math instructors are among the jobs being eliminated, said Superintendent Patrick Michel, because the local schools served by HFM BOCES are cutting back on the services they need from BOCES.
The local BOCES serves school districts in Fulton, Montgomery and Hamilton counties. Fifteen school districts rely on BOCES to offer additional classroom programs and student services.
"We have to reduce our staff because they were reducing at the local level their services," Michel said before a BOCES meeting Wednesday.
The board met for nearly two hours in closed executive session to discuss the staff cuts and other personnel matters.
After the session, BOCES President Robert Townsend and Michel said the people whose jobs were cut had been notified earlier. Michel would not give the names of the employees.
Fact Box
Cutting back
The following positions are being eliminated at HFM BOCES:
Five teacher aides.
Two occupational
therapists.
One full-time and one part-time speech therapist.
One health teacher.
One math teacher.
One physical education teacher.
Two school
psychologists.
One nurse.
One part-time guidance counselor.
"We work with them to help them find a new job. We give them a letter of recommendation and job leads," he said.
BOCES tries to save school districts money, Michel said.
"If you can do it cheaper or find it cheaper, then you should do it," Michel said.
Lorraine Hohenforst, assistant superintendent for BOCES, is getting a new title and salary.
To reflect her increasing responsibilities for the district, she has been named deputy superintendent. The board voted to abolish the position of assistant superintendent. An internship will be established for an administrative assistant.
The BOCES board adopted its 2012-13 budget Wednesday. The budget totals $29.9 million.