Sachem teachers to Albany: Save our jobs

Some 300 Sachem teachers will descend on Albany Wednesday, asking legislators to spare their jobs.

The district has told 450 of its least senior staff members -- including 375 of the district's nearly 1,300 teachers -- that they could be out of work at the end of the school year because of cuts in state aid and rising personnel costs.

Superintendent Jim Nolan and the head of the school board also plan to be at the state Capitol. Classes in the district are not in session Wednesday because it was previously scheduled as a staff development day.

John Heslin, president of the Sachem Central Teachers' Association, said each of the teachers has taken a personal day to attend the trip, for which the union is paying.

Heslin said he wants to make it as difficult as possible for legislators to authorize the cuts. Participants will hold a morning rally, then break into smaller groups to share their stories with legislators.

"I want to put a face on the numbers," he said.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has proposed trimming more than $16 million from Sachem's budget -- part of a proposed $1.5-billion decrease in state education funding to help close New York's $10-billion deficit.

Jon Weston, 25, an English teacher at Sachem North High School, said he hopes lawmakers will consider students before signing off on a budget that could lead to the dismissal of hundreds of their teachers.

"The kids don't get a chance to have their say, but we as educators can represent them in a way," Weston said. He is among many young teachers who could be on the way out, because layoffs are based on seniority.

Weston, a Sachem graduate, hoped to make his career in the district until retirement. He is reluctant to face the prospect of leaving the area to find work.

"I haven't really thought about it because I've been focused on what I can do now to work out our situation," he said. "But I know the cuts will be widespread on Long Island and that's a little discouraging."