Woonsocket Teachers Organizing To Protest Layoff Notices Wednesday

Woonsocket teachers are facing layoff notices at tomorrow night's special meeting of the School Committee, and they're planning to speak out against the move.

The Committee's agenda, attached to this post, lists one item for the 5:45 p.m. discussion at Woonsocket Middle School: Discussion/Vote to Issue Layoff Notices.

A story on the layoffs ran in The Woonsocket Call Saturday and yesterday Channel 10 posted a video on the coming layoff discussion. The Woonsocket Call reports the School Committee will consider laying off all union employees - about 700 people. According to Channel 10's story, School Committee Chairwoman Anita McGuire-Forcier says the move will maintain their options in dealing with its looming deficit.

On Feb. 9, the Woonsocket Patch reported the district faced a $2.7 million shortfall in 2011 and was working to avoid a similar deficit in 2012. 

According to a post on the Woonsocket Teacher's Guild's facebook page, they plan to challenge the layoff plan. "We ask that you attend the meeting scheduled for at the Hamlet Middle School on Wednesday, February 22nd at 5:45 PM (according to the agenda that we received), and let your voices be heard. This is an open meeting, so I encourage you to bring your family, taxpaying friends and neighbors, along with anyone else who values our commitment to education in Woonsocket," the post reads.