After less than a year with the Fox Point-Bayside School District, the district's technology director was told on Friday that he was being laid off to balance the district budget.
Technology Director Jim Binney came to Fox Point-Bayside in July 2012 after 12 years with the Wauwatosa School District. On Friday, he was notified that he would be laid off as of June 30.
The layoff comes less than two weeks after the board voted to spare seven of the 10 teachers targeted for layoffs next school year. Binney was not among that group because he is not a teacher.
While some parents and teachers have expressed outrage over the news of yet another layoff, Superintendent Rachel Boechler said the board's action to spare the seven teachers is separate from its actions to reduce its support staff.
She said the board's decision to lay off Binney was made in committee meetings in March, but Binney wasn't informed until Friday.
The layoffs are due to district budget woes caused by facility maintenance needs, overstaffing and reduced state funding under Gov. Scott Walker's proposed budget, which includes a zero-percent, per-pupil increase in public school district's revenue limit.
Still, despite the district's tight budget and talk of a looming referendum, parent David Braeger – who previously threatened board members with a recall election – said the decision to lay off Binney could have been avoided.
“If our leaders cannot manage a budget creatively enough to keep our head of technology in the age of technology, we have a monstrous problem,” he said.
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