Teacher's union President Deb Tretter says the 99 teachers received pink slips from their principals last Thursday and Friday. The district's proposed $242 million budget eliminates 132 teaching positions; 99 of those are coming through layoffs.
School board President Robert Smith Jr. says the cuts are very disappointing and that the district is losing a lot of good talent.
The district was facing a budget shortfall of as much as $22.4 million when officials began reviewing the plan in January. Smith says the current budget still has a $5 million deficit with the cuts and a tax increase; he says that will have to be made up from reserve funds unless the school gets more state aid.
