Parents Petition for End of Schools’ Merit System
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Having received more than 500 signatures from angry parents, the Hacienda La Puente School District’s Board of Education is expected to hold a special meeting tonight to discuss terminating the union-like, district-funded merit system, officials said.
Formed in the 1960s, before the district had unions, the merit system was used to monitor hiring and firing for classified personnel--workers such as bus drivers, said Supt. John W. Kramar.
Faced with threats to close a number of schools in the district, Hacienda Heights parents are grasping at anything that they think will save the district money and help keep schools open, said PTA President Laurel Harter.
Because the system costs $400,000 per year to operate, some parents hope that by eliminating it from the district’s budget, they may save a school or two, Kramar said.
The district is required to review the petition and send the issue to the county superintendent of schools for a final decision, Kramar said.
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