Wyandotte School Board Recalls 9 Laid-Off Teachers

The voted unanimously Tuesday to recall nine teachers who were laid off at the end of the last school year.

due to budget cuts. Of those, five remain still out of a job.

School board members reinstated seven staffers in June, along with an additional teacher and social worker in July. Two of the original laid off teachers have since accepted teaching positions in other school districts.

Superintendent Carla Harting said the district was able to recall the teachers because more students enrolled this year than anticipated. More students equals more state funding coming into the district.

Following a loss of 140 students in the 2010-11 school year, Harting said, initial budget calculations for this school year were based on a projected loss of 109 students. Instead, enrollment has held steady and the district actually gained four students this year, Harting said.

“Going into this year, (it) was difficult predicting what was going to happen,” she said. “We budgeted for a loss that did not happen and we’re very excited about that.” 

The previous school board voted 4-3 in April to lay off the 25 employees. One of the members voting against the layoffs was current Vice President Robert Kirby, who then served as treasurer.

On Tuesday, Kirby credited the efforts of Harting and the resilience of Wyandotte residents as the reasons why the district didn't lose students this year.

“The superintendent had a plan and it worked,” Kirby said. “It worked because people didn’t bail on the district.”

Also voting against the original layoffs in April was current Treasurer Dana Browning, who in her last term was a board trustee. 

“I just want to say this is a great feeling being able to call back teachers,” Browning said.

The board officially recalled these nine teachers on Tuesday:

• Rachel Doran
• Kathryn Hagaman
• Terry Haley
• Salena Harris
• Julie Lilienthal
• Jennifer Miller
• Christina Neu
• Megan Robertson
• Devin Sura

On July 19, the board recalled teacher Melissa Hagan and social worker Rachel Bak. 

On June 21, teachers Melissa Becker, Jean Riley, Linda Trupino, Heidi Waggoner and Bethany Yancura were recalled, along with counselor James Babody and behavioral specialist LaThomas Willis.