Ogallala schools look to trim jobs

Tough financial times are hitting a western Nebraska school district, causing the district to look at a reduction in force.
The Ogallala School Board met on Thursday to discuss reducing two full time positions for the 2010/11 school year, a move Superintendent Carl Dietz said could occur again next year.
The board approved the elimination of a guidance counselor and a home economics teacher. The board did say that if the teachers and administrators, through negotiations with the Ogallala Education Association, agreed to a pay freeze for the 2010/11 school year, they would reinstate the two positions at their next school board meeting.
Dietz said if the pay freeze occurs, it will only be a temporary fix and the board may be addressing the same issue a year from now. The OEA plans to meet next week. The district stands to lose approximately $260,000 in state next year.
Thanks to Joshua Mackey, KOGA, Ogallala