"It's a catastrophe. They need more. You shouldn't cut kids' education," resident Virgil Bryant said.
Parents, teachers, and other school employees are trying to process the news that because of state budget cuts in school aid, the Trenton School District is planning to eliminate 215 jobs and close three schools next year.
"We really have no other choice because if we don't close the schools that would mean additional staff cuts," Superintendent Rodney Lofton said.
Lofton says most of the layoffs will be at the district's central office. They will not target classroom teachers, but rather positions like coaches, social workers and substance abuse counselors.
"Naturally many of the teachers were stunned because we just found out about this yesterday," Naomi Johnson-LaFleur of the Trenton Teachers Association said.
The schools slated for closure include Harrison Elementary on Genesee Street, Rivera Elementary on North Montgomery Street and Stokes Elementary on Parkside Avenue.
Students will be transferred to other schools next year.
Action News spoke with parents outside of Stokes as classes let out this afternoon.
"I think it will make it hard for us cause we only live down the street. I don't think that's right for our kids to travel far away from our house," parent Tameisha Bishop said.
"They're going to overload all the other schools. It's going to be very inconvenient for the kids that are in this community," an uncle of one a student at Stokes, Brian Washington, said.
The superintendent, however, promises that not everything will change.
"The bottom line is we're still going to continue to focus on instruction. Teacher ratio is not going to change and the number of teachers in the buildings is not going to change," Lofton said.
To try to save money, the district may try to privatize security guards and has asked the teachers, who've been working without a contract for over a year, to consider furlough days and other givebacks. The union president says that's for the negotiating table.
"If you want to make us an offer, I'm not saying we'd accept it, but that's the place to make the offer," Joe Santon of the Trenton Education Association said.
