COURTNEY FLYNN, Chronicle-Tribune
Marion Community Schools announced Wednesday evening at its board meeting that 34 employees have been notified that they may no longer be employed with the district after this school year.
These notifications come at a time not only when Indiana schools are having their funds cut from the state, but also when the district has had declining enrollment.
It was estimated between 360 and 380 fewer students enrolled with the MCS for the 2009-10 school year than the previous year, and that about 100 students have left the school system throughout the year to be home-schooled or attend other schools, board president Mike Luce said.
That was the main reason that 24 of the 34 teachers may not be employed with the district next year, MCS Superintendent Steve Edwards said.
At the beginning of the school year, the district was staffed to best serve the students, Luce said. Although they knew of possible declining enrollment, they still had to be staffed properly just in case, Luce said.
“We need reasonable instructional numbers,” Luce said.
The remaining 10 were notified that their contracts would not be renewed at the end of the year because of performance issues, Edwards said.
“This does not mean they are bad teachers, though,” he said.
To best serve those notified, the board unanimously voted to allow Edwards and his designee to begin talks with each teacher about the possible loss of their position and other concerns or requests that may arise.