ANN ARBOR, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) — Ann Arbor Public Schools has sent out layoff notices. Some wonder what lasting effects they will have on the upcoming school year.
“Some of my colleagues are waiting until August because they are so eager to get back to work here that many are leaving the profession for good,” Daniel Crowley told CBS News Detroit.
Crowley is one of dozens of teachers the school district has fired. The eighth-grade language teacher has been with the district for more than three years.
After a significant budget deficit revealed earlier this year, it’s the children he thinks about.
“I guess my fear is what the long-term consequences will be of asking your teaching staff to take on more and more while reducing resources in other areas,” he said.
The school board allowed this 141 layoffs to replace the $25 million budget deficit. Board members said the number of classrooms could potentially increase by a handful next school year.
“For most grades and classes this is around 28-30 [in classrooms], so I’ll trust our interim superintendent when she says we’re not moving forward. Of course there will be lessons here and there, as always,” said board secretary Jeff Gaynor.
This follows the $14 million accounting error reported by the previous administration. It is being investigated how this could have happened.
That shortfall led the board to believe they had more money in their fund, when in reality it was much less.
“Because our fund balance and savings have been below 5% for two years, we are now working with the state. We are required to have monthly meetings with the state to ensure our finances are rising and stable, but we will have local control,” Gaynor said.
The district laid off about 56 teachers and staff, while another 50 resigned or retired. Various factors have partly determined these cuts.
“Based on board policy, the first layers were discipline issues and ineffective evaluations, and then it went to seniority,” Gaynor said.
Thursday is the last day of school and for teachers like Crowley, it means closing a chapter. He just wishes more community inclusions were in the planning to avoid a major shortage in the future.
“There is no way that a cabinet of a dozen or fewer people is going to come up with a stronger plan than if they had previously released information to the public,” Crowley said.
According to Crowley, his colleagues doubt the serious consequences. What worries them is the lack of resources.
“It felt like that $25 million deficit was announced, and the biggest concern from many of my colleagues was what impact this will have on the children who are already not being served in the way they deserve,” he said.
According to Gaynor, new checks and balances will likely be implemented to avoid a multi-million dollar situation like the one they are currently in.
Terell Bailey
