Ten Northeast School Corp. teachers lost their jobs Monday as the school board voted to eliminate their positions.
Citing funding cuts from the state government and declining enrollment, the NESC Board of Trustees voted to send final “Reduction in Force” notices to the 10 employees, including most of NESC’s elementary arts teachers.
During the special school board meeting, Superintendent Mark Baker laid out the grim circumstances that led to NESC’s layoffs. He said the corporation lost 124 students — and the funding that comes with them — in the past decade, plus 27 students just from the start of school this year through May 13.
Baker said NESC lost $498,747 in funding in fiscal year 2011, and the corporation expects to lose over $600,000 more in the next two years under the newly enacted state budget.
“This is nothing personal. This has nothing to do with job performance. It’s all about numbers,” said Baker, explaining after the meeting that the layoffs are based upon seniority in areas that NESC officials feel can be cut with the least negative impact on students.
Baker said NESC still plans to offer elementary art, music and P.E. programs next year, but how those programs will operate and how they’ll be staffed are yet to be determined.
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