Lawrence Woodmere Academy furloughs 47 staffers

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Lawrence Woodmere Academy furloughed 47 employees, a combination of administrators and teachers, as of June 8, because of the negative financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Some of the furloughed employees are questioning the school’s timing of the decision.

Former LWA interim headmaster and current consultant for the nonsectarian private school in Woodmere, Mary Barton said that the school delayed the furloughs to ensure that students received the needed education for the duration of the school year after schools were closed in mid-March.

“LWA temporarily furloughed staff who will be returned on a rolling basis in early August in alignment with enrollment and programming demands,” Barton said. “All staff will retain benefits while on temporary furlough.”

Barton said that because of the pandemic, LWA is considering multiple scenarios as to how the school will operate as a school when the 2020-21 school year is set to begin in September, which officials care calling LWA 2.0.

“At this time, we must be prepared for several scenarios: complete online school, complete brick and mortar school, or a hybrid model where we will give parents (and staff when possible) the ability to teach or learn in school or from home depending upon health and safety concerns or circumstances,” she stated. “All of these variables impact the school's program and staffing model.”

LWA board president Vincent Gerbino said that while the decision to furlough faculty was difficult, it was the necessary decision under current circumstances,

“LWA is committed to enhancing its personalized learning A+STEM instructional program and has made a difficult and responsible restructuring business decision in the midst of Covid-19 to ensure that LWA 2.0 enters its 2nd century of excellence," Gerbino said. "We fully expect to bring back our best to give legs to our robust academic, arts, and sports plan for 2020-2021.”

In an email sent to the furloughed staff members on June 8, Headmaster Brian O’Connell said that faculty were able reapply for employment by sending a resume, cover letter and video explaining why they should be a part of the LWA staff going forward by 1 p.m. on June 15. A furlough is defined as a temporary layoff and typically employees who are furloughed are called back to work. 

“I know this may be stressful, but it is necessary,” O’Connell said in the email. “Many of you have talents, interests, and strengths that I would like to consider as we begin bringing faculty back on board based upon our enrollment numbers.”

He added in the email that current LWA furloughed faculty will be prioritized for interviews if they submitted their criteria by the June 15 deadline and would begin work on Aug. 17.

While LWA faculty members are not a part of a union, they are on year-to-year contracts with the school that are typically renegotiated every spring.

One LWA teacher who was furloughed and declined to be identified because of a fear of what she said could be “baseless personal and legal retaliation,” noted that she is considering leaving for another position in April because she had not received a new contract from the school that month. New agreements with teachers are typically finalized by April.

“I think even telling us in early-April that we would all be furloughed and that not everyone would be guaranteed a job in September would have been much better,” she said. “The normal hiring period for teachers is approximately February to early-June. After that, jobs become very scarce so waiting until June to tell teachers they would be furloughed kneecaps anyone who would have considered changing positions.”

She added that staff was rushed out the door after the school year ended. “People, including our new headmaster, often gush how they appreciate everything teachers do,” she said. “However, the moment we finished our teaching duties for the year, we were thrown out as if we were disposable, including people who have worked in this school for over 20 years. It is very disheartening to see teachers treated this way in LWA.”

Another furloughed teacher who said she was “not comfortable revealing their name during this time,” noted her shock about all the furloughs. “Anyone with the sense of the current climate could have sensed some cuts, but it’s hard to say the school thought of individual impact by doing it this way as opposed to warning faculty in March about potential changes,” she said. “You’re now looking at a school that has no staff members.”

O’Connell added that he is unsure of how many employees will be rehired despite LWA applying for federal funding through the federal Payroll Protection Program.

“The Covid-19 adverse economic impact, coupled with staff restructuring, an unknown September school configuration requires a fair and equitable plan to assess which staff should come back in each wave,” he said. “Businesses and independent nonprofit schools receive PPP funding for the continuity of business, but the funding does not completely cover sufficient operating expenses for a sustained period of time.”

Update reflects addition of Vincent Gerbino quote.