District Sends Lay-off Letters to 40 Teachers

The school board unanimously approved the lay-offs of four district employees at Wednesday night’s board meeting. Forty lay-off letters were sent, four to probationary and tenured teachers, while 36 were sent to temporary teachers holding one-year contracts, according to district spokesperson Naomi Hunter.

However, while these layoffs are called a "final decision," they can still be rescinded if funds come in later, either from the state or private sources, according to Hunter.

This number is just a fraction of the 115 employees who received letters last year, 100 to probationary and tenured teachers and 15 to temporary teachers, according to Hunter.

The state has continued tightening its purse strings, forcing the school district to configure various ways to shrink its budget.

All board members somberly approved the layoffs, with Trustee Dennis McBride calling any layoffs a travesty.

“Because the teachers’ union was able to agree on furlough days, we had much more flexibility,” district spokesperson Naomi Hunter said.

The music program was anticipating layoffs: A full-time music teacher was similarly laid off last year, but . This year’s “Save the Music” campaign organizers hope to again fund a music teacher’s salary.

The on May 6 attracted several hundreds of community members rallying to support the school district and offset funding cuts.