The Amityville School District will lay off 32 teachers at the end of the school year as it faces a $3.6 million deficit, district officials said Monday.
In a letter to the residents posted on the school website Monday, Superintendent Gina Talbert said, “We have made the difficult decision to excess staff members in a variety of positions across the district at the end of the current school year.”
She said she also expects class sizes to increase in the 2024-25 school year to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels.
The letter states that positions to be cut range from central office and building-level support staff to members of the teaching staff. Officials confirmed that 32 teachers will be let go.
Talbert noted in her letter that increased costs for services of children with special needs, an unanticipated rise in charter school enrollment and higher costs in security and health insurance have contributed to the deficit.
“Additionally, several grants used to fund programs and services within the District will expire this year, requiring the District to make personnel adjustments due to loss in funding,” she wrote. “This is not a decision we came to lightly, as we greatly value all staff who have dedicated themselves to our district and students of Amityville.”
Nakia Wolfe, president of the Amityville Teachers Association, questioned the district’s handling of its budget and finances. School districts statewide received millions in state and federal aid because of the pandemic and he questioned why Amityville was facing a deficit now.
He said he has met with the staff “trying to give them support until we find out how this happened and why this happened.” He said he’s concerned that academic achievement will suffer if class sizes return to pre-pandemic levels.
The district’s teachers have been working without a contract since it expired in June.
“In addition to being angry and frustrated — we are very disheartened,” he said. “As teachers and…
Read the full article here
Leave a Reply