More
than 50 Rochester school district teachers are receiving layoff
notices beginning today. About 25 teach special education, and 14 are
math teachers, says Rochester Teachers Association President Adam
Urbanski.
Only
weeks ago, Superintendent Bolgen Vargas said he planned to increase
the teaching staff in the fall.
Urbanski
says the layoffs are due to lower enrollment and school phase outs,
which consolidates classrooms and programs.
“We
can’t make any hard and fast guarantees, but most if not all of the
teachers will be recalled by September,” he says. As retirement and
resignations are announced, positions become available.
Urbanski
also says he believes that Vargas will hire more music, art, and
physical education teachers. Vargas announced as much earlier this
spring.
Dan
DiClemente, president of the Board of Education Non-Teaching
Employees, says he expects cuts to his union members, too, but that
it will be fewer than 10 employees.
This article appears in A cultural gem in a high-tech hub.
