‘Kills morale': Students in Mass. town to hold walkout in protest of ‘brutal' staffing cuts

Yahoo

24-03-2025

Students in a Massachusetts town will hold a walkout on Monday in protest of 'brutal' job cuts and a temporary school closure, impacting dozens of staff members come the next school year.
The North Andover school district sent out about 40 job elimination letters across PreK-12, affecting both full-time staff and contracted employees for one-year terms.
Some teachers gathered outside North Andover High School ahead of the planned student walkout.
'It's frustrating and it's sad and it's brutal for our teachers and it kills morale. I lost almost 60% of my department,' teacher Robert Dugan said.
Teacher Tony Delmonico added, 'Our pleas have fallen on deaf ears and now we're just banking on a good show of support at town meeting on May 13 to get the townspeople to vote on a better school budget.'
The North Andover Teachers Association had warned that the approval of a $68.2 million budget for the next year would result in the loss of 40 jobs and the closure of Kittredge Elementary School.
In a post from March 8, NATA outlined the challenges: not only will jobs be eliminated, but class sizes will increase, and funding for athletics will be reduced by 10%.
Posted by North Andover Teachers Association on Saturday, March 8, 2025
North Andover Superintendent Pamela Lathrop said this is a 9.89% increase from last year's budget but its $3.5 million dollars less than a level of services budget meaning 'difficult decisions will need to be made.'
Lathrop pointed to the end of federal stimulus funding, which had helped during the pandemic, as a major factor in the district's financial challenges, bringing funding back to pre-COVID-19 levels.
Staffing reductions will occur at all levels—elementary, middle, high school, and central office. Additionally, Kittredge Elementary School will be temporarily closed in an effort to maintain financial stability. Lathrop explained that keeping Kittredge open would require 'deep, impactful cuts' elsewhere in the district.
The closure of Kittredge will help keep class sizes within the range of 18-25 students per class. Other cuts include reductions to summer IT support, individual school budgets, and curriculum funding.
'These decisions are never easy, but they are necessary to stabilize the district's finances while continuing to prioritize student learning,' said Lathrop.
Staff members have yet to hear about any transfers taking place.'When you give your heart and soul to something every single day and then told you are not worth the money, which and we know the money's there right, Middle School teacher Nick Conti said. 'It feels really bad. It feels like something is not right.'
In a second letter to the community, Superintendent Lathrop said, 'Throughout this process, we have worked closely with the North Andover Teachers Association to ensure that we are following the provisions outlined in the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). We will continue to collaborate and provide support to affected staff members in the days and weeks ahead.'
Union members now hope a change can be made by the town select board, making an amendment to the budget at their May 13th meeting.
High School students are also planning a walkout on Monday, March 24 to express their concerns.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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