She is seven months pregnant - active, energetic, dynamic - moving around in the classroom as she directs her theatre art students in rehearsal for the play Steel Magnolia. Nicki Guckian’s quick smile belie the troubled thoughts and concerned anguish over her soon to be lost job. Yes Nicki and her husband Alan Guckian, also an Austin I.S.D teacher have been slated to be RIFed. Ms. Nicki as her students lovingly refer to her, has not stopped serving her students at Lanier High School.she continues to work diligently and consistently. Her husband Alan, the band director for Eastside Memorial High school keeps taking his outstanding, award winning band students from one activity to the next. Like thousands of teachers and workers throughout Texas, the Guckians’ are intensely worried about the impending future. Speaking at a recent A.I.S.D board meeting Alan Guckian pleaded for his job, “These cuts are going to cripple my family. If we lose our positions, we lose our home. That’s just a fact.”
This is the story ; this is a fact. Throughout Texas, devastating layoffs better known as RIF or Reduction in Force are being implemented. It makes me feel like I am in Gorge Orwell’s Animal Farm, and the Government is finding cute names for the destruction of people’s family, while they the elected leaders wallow in exorbitant spending like 14 thousand monthly rental fee. A $95 million shortfall, is causing elimination of more than 1,500 jobs from only one school district. The RIF of thousands of positions is causing despair, fear, depression and anguish. “I work hard” is falling on deaf ears in school board meetings, and Legislative House.
While Ms. Nicki sets the stage for her UIL play Steel Magnolia, her students clearly understand that she works hard, but further down the Avenue in the Capitol someone squeals “She works hard but I work harder.” The stage collapsed- Steel Magnolia crumbled. Oops. The Blue Bonnet wept and withered.
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