Sidney Gonzalez
News Editor
This semester, we will be losing a teacher to displacement.
As learning has gone online, Hollywood has seen a decrease in the student body. Students have either turned to homeschooling, not attending classes, or other reasons. This drop in enrollment was seen last Friday on a “Norm Day”. With too few students in a school, teachers can get displaced, meaning that they lose their jobs within the school. However, because they don’t lose their job in the district, they get sent to a school that needs them or as a substitute.
Initially we were going to lose two teachers, an administrator, and a counselor, said Dr. Reid, the school’s principal. However, she bought the positions of one teacher and an administrator using carryover money, according to a letter she sent out to the school community. As of right now, the only known displacement is Ms. Iamboliyski.
“NO TEACHER should be displaced as a result of enrollment issues rooted in the ongoing repercussions of our District’s Overall Healthy and Responsible response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Our norm tables are not designed for this type of circumstance, and it is not fair,” said Bodin Adler, English teacher.
As many have observed, amongst teachers, the first to get displaced are elective teachers. The teachers with the least seniority, or the least amount of time teaching at the school are usually the first to be displaced
Boriana Iamboliyski is the drawing teacher at Hollywood, and she has been here for 13 years, teaching since 2007. The news of her displacement has gotten the attention of the majority of students, and got SAS Junior Octavian Bridges to start a petition to keep her as a teacher.
“We need an art teacher at HHS. Electives such as art are part of a well rounded, engaging, creative school education,” said Dr. Steven Steinberg, social studies teacher.
So far, the petition has over 300 signatures and comments from current students, alumni, and teachers alike.
“She’s the best they got for art. It’s definitely a great break from the regular curriculum,” said Josh Abarca, a 2018 graduate from Hollywood High School.
Enrollment has seen it’s deepest decline in the School of Advanced Studies program. Dr. Mary Reid has asked students to recommend the school to friends, family, or anyone transitioning into high school.
“If our numbers are low again next year, we can see the same thing happening again with me or any of your other favorite SAS teachers being displaced,” said Dr. Jin Suh Jirn, English teacher and SAS lead teacher.