St. Paul schools prepare for state funding cuts

Some St. Paul public school teachers could receive letters Friday telling them they may not have a job in their current building next year.

District officials say the letters are not layoff notices. But the president of the St. Paul teachers union said the letters are part of the district's effort to plan for expected state budget cuts.

St. Paul Federation of Teachers President Mary Cathryn Ricker said the district is being as conservative as possible as it tries to project staffing levels for next year.

"We are looking at a 2011-12 school year that has anything from a $19 million deficit to a worst-case scenario of a $36 million deficit under the House K-12 plan," Ricker said.

Ricker said any layoff notices are expected to go out before Memorial Day. The city's school board has until the middle of next month to approve a budget for the 2011-12 school year.