Today the [Daily News](http://www.nydailynews.com/nylocal/education/2009/10/09/2009-10-09530aidesletgoprincipalsquestionlogicassomeofthelowestpaidworkersfir.html)_ reports that more than 500 school aides will lose their jobs next week. While no school will lose aide positions if it budgeted to keep them, union rules mean that schools may lose individual aides who will be replaced by other aides with more seniority.

Principals and parents charge that not all school aides are equal when it comes to  carrying out specific tasks. The News quotes an unidentified Manhattan principal:  "If I hired someone because he's really good at keeping order in the hallways, but I get sent someone who was hired because he's good at clerical work, I've got a problem."

And some of the replacement aides may come from the "excess pool," which Department of Education officials said the city cannot afford to maintain "in the current economic climate." Last month, we reported a similar situation when Chancellor Klein urged schools to hire from the pool of excessed teachers.

Is your school community being disrupted by a change in school aide staffing? Comment below to let us know!