Lake Local School District officials told teachers on Tuesday night that many positions could be eliminated this year. A failed Nov. 3 ballot measure would result in the loss of 132 district positions.
Eliminating those roles would save about $3.2 million, according to the school board. The potential reduction list includes 20 teachers who could lose their jobs by the end of the school year.
Fourth grade ELA teacher Melissa Elchert is among the staff members facing possible job loss in Lake Township. Workers on the potential cut list received an email notice a couple weeks ago.
“They’re going to have more kids in their classroom. They’re not going to be able to work one-on-one with those kids and create those relationships,” Elchert said.
She called her parents first after receiving the message. “It was really emotional. I called my parents. They were my first ones I called,” Elchert said.
A decrease in state funding, inflation, rising service costs and declining enrollment caused the budget shortfall, according to the district. The proposed 1% earned income tax measure on the fall ballot would cost an average household $728 each year.
That total comes from the average annual household income of $72,800. School board member Brad Blandin wants local residents to approve the measure.
“I hope that as a community, we rally around our schools, we rally around our kids, and vote and get this thing passed,” Blandin said.
Parent Jennifer Zam said she will vote to support the measure. Her children have attended classes in the district since 2011.
“Our district has made a lot of really great progress in the last couple of years. The teachers and the losses that we face here, the teachers, the staff, the members of our community. They’ve done as much as they can to mitigate those effects on the kids, but it’s still going to impact our kids,” Zam said.
Five high school teachers are on the reduction list. Zam said her daughter attends the high school and participates in clubs and activities.
“Pretty much every facet of those teacher cuts would affect her because all of the increases on demands on the staff that remain, those extra students in the classrooms, the overcrowding. All of that impacts every student,” Zam said.
Public school districts hold elections to ask voters for additional local tax revenue to fund operations. Boards create reduction plans to balance district budgets when funding levels change.
Voters across Lake Township will decide on the ballot measure during the Nov. 3 election.
