CHCCS Eliminates 23 Positions In The School District

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools has eliminated 23 full-time positions as a part of its 2016-2017 fiscal budget.

The cuts were made in response to the Orange County Board of Commissioners not granting the full request from the Board of Education to increase county funding for schools.

“The board made the tough decision in April, not knowing what our local budget would be, to change our supplement schedule and that has had a tremendous, tremendous effect on our ability to get staff in place for the start of the school year,” said assistant superintendent Todd LoFrese.

In order to remain competitive in the job market, the Board of Education chose to raise the supplemental income of teachers in the district.

The board made this increase official before county commissioners approved the fiscal budget, meaning that no matter what the commissioners chose to do, CHCCS would have to pay the increase.

Between this and mandatory raises from the state, the district needed $4.2 million to balance the budget.

The county commissioners gave an additional $2.7 million, leaving the district $1.5 million short.

“We’ve had to make reductions of more than $10 million over the past several years,” LoFrese said. “That left us with few options besides positions.”

Of the 23 full-time positions eliminated, 11 are elementary level media assistants, two are middle school gifted specialists, four are middle school physical education teachers, three are high school clerical positions, two are central office administrative positions and one is a central office staff member.

“We’ve done the best we can but utilizing parks, utilizing libraries, healthy living, that all comes from and is helped by the schools,” said board member Margaret Samuels. “Cutting that just seems counter-intuitive to what, as a Chapel Hill resident and an Orange County resident, we want to see in the people that live here.”

The PE teachers will keep their job for the upcoming school year, but unless there are changes to the 2017-2018 budget, will be let go when the year is over.

The district will also reduce utilities and school supply spending to help make up the $1.5 million deficit.

“Unfortunately we have to make a hard decision here,” said board member Pat Heinrich. “We definitely have a lot of trust that we have to regain with our employees about the decision that we’re making here today.”