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Sep 24, 2008 9:32 pm US/Central
Nervous DISD Teachers Anticipate Job Cuts
DALLAS (CBS 11 News) ―
Seven hundred fifty jobs are at stake when the Dallas School Board meets Thursday to try and fix a $64 million deficit, a problem they say was created by a budget error.
It's been a week of tough questions for 5th grade teacher Linda Polk. "Am I going to be laid off? How are they going to lay us off? What are the criteria? Are they going to go by seniority," she questioned.
Polk also has a few questions for the very district she works for. "Why did this truly happen? Why weren't we told about this until now? Why hire 'x'-amount of teachers when you knew there was a problem with the budget?"
When Polk returns home from her teaching job at J.W. Ray Learning Center in Dallas, she likes to unwind; but not this week. "It's very stressful not knowing if you will have a job," she explained. "It's stressful for me as well as my comrades."
Most of the Dallas Independent School District positions on the line Thursday are filled by teachers. The school board is likely to vote to authorize a reduction in workforce, which paves the way for layoffs.
The job cuts are meant to mend a $64 million, and growing, deficit.
"I think it's totally unfair that we the teachers have to be laid off because of an administrative mistake," Polk said. "Why should we have to suffer?"
The unions representing teachers say demonstrators will picket DISD headquarters while the school board meets.
If the board approves the reduction in force, layoffs could come as early as next week.
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