DOWNEY - In her comments to the DUSD school board Tuesday, Superintendent Wendy Doty said that, because 14 teachers have notified the district before the March 15 deadline of their intention to retire or leave the district at the end of this year, they will save the district from the onus of issuing possible year-end pink slips.Not only did the welcome development calm frazzled nerves, it will earn each of the teachers a $3,000 bonus. The rule is: if the number of departing teachers is less than 10, they each would get an incentive amount of $1,500; if more than 10, they each would get $3,000. Board member Don LaPlante also used the oral communications segment to take particular note of the $10,000 cash donation from the Mary Stauffer Foundation to be used for a projection system in the Downey High school gymnasium. "In these depressed economic times," he said, "such largesse is rare." Among the other action, most of which was routine, the 2012-13 courses of study for the middle schools and the high schools received a brief review from the board. The proposed course of study at the middle school level, which was unchanged from the year before, was swiftly approved.

********** Published: January 19, 2012 - Volume 10 - Issue 40