‘Protect our classrooms;’ Parents concerned after school district plans to cut teachers, other jobs
Centerville’s school board has approved cuts that include losing teachers, cuts that would save the district $1.27 million.
The District says it has to make these cuts after voters turned down a levy in November.
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“We actually took a multiple-phase plan to the board this past Monday,” Centerville City Schools Superintendent Jon Wesney said.
The plan, which was approved by Centerville’s school board this week, includes cutting four teachers, plus at least 10 other positions including special education aides, custodians, clerical positions, and a bus driver. Wesney said they would get the reductions by not replacing people who retire or leave.
“I want people to understand that it is a cut to our services of what we’ve traditionally provided to our students and to our community,” Wesney said.
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Anthony Coletta, who has two kids that attend school in the district, says he is concerned about student-teacher ratios.
“I don’t think it’s good. We need more teachers. You can’t cut it and expect less teachers to teach kids,” Coletta said.
Wesney told News Center 7′s John Bedell that the cuts will cause some class sizes to change, and some teachers will have more students in their classrooms to accommodate for the staffing changes.
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“Well, that’s a that’s a concern. And obviously, that’s something that we want to try and protect our classrooms as best we can,” Wesney said.
Though these may not be the only round of cuts Centerville schools will face. The District has another levy on the March ballot. If the levy passes, no other cuts will be necessary.
If voters turn the levy down the district plans to cut another 10 teachers for the 2024-2025 school year, among other changes, to save more than $1.6 million.
