After months of speculation, the Buffalo Public School district has announced how it will be cutting more than $90 million from its budget.
The district announced Wednesday, in a committee meeting, that about 30 staff members will be laid off and 42 staff members will retire and those positions will not be filled.
In addition, 187 vacant positions will not be filled. The hiring freeze remains in effect.
7 News’ Pheben Kassahun learned from the school’s chief financial officer as he walked her through the cuts and a parent who lent her voice on how she believes these cuts will impact her child’s education.
“Because of the enrollment declines, we have an equity or needs-based formula for the staff that’s required and it’s based on needs, poverty levels, ELL counts," said Buffalo Public School Chief Financial Officer Jim Barnes. "Special Ed counts are all factored into that. It showed that we were overstaffed by the school by approximately 330.”
Barnes stated that the district’s financial struggles had not been addressed by prior superintendents and was then magnified by the ARP/ESSER funding when additional staffing was brought in.
“If it’s not addressed, as your enrollments go down, you get less foundation aid, which represents along with the other aid, 85% of our revenues and your costs go up. So, you’d be eventually heading for a financial disaster,” Barnes said.
Another step the district plans to take to stop the financial crisis is implementing a two-year plan.
That plan calls for Superintendent Dr. Tonja Williams to dedicate $80 million of district reserves.
“In a difficult situation and exceedingly mindful and conscious effort to avoid any layoffs. The superintendent has done everything to mitigate it,” Barnes said.
It was mentioned in the meeting that Dr. Williams added back 110 positions that would have been cut under the district’s financial formula.
Those roles include assistant principals, aides, social workers, guidance counselors, psychologists and music teachers.
The district also plans to reduce 35 coaches, teachers on special assignment (TOSA) and instructional technology coaches (ITC) and move these faculty members back into the classrooms.
Adrianna Zullich is a BPS parent and the co-chair of the Special Education Parents Advisory Committee.
“My girls are going to lose a literacy coach among other positions. They are four and six. I worry about them learning to read, being proficient and that’s really such a fundamental skill for everything else,” Zullich said. “I would love to see those vital coaches in other positions reinstated throughout. I think that is very important. It is affecting every parent and every student in some way. There is not a building or student untouched.”
The school board will vote on the budget on May 15.
BPS is not the only district where employees are taking the brunt of budget cuts, due to the ARP/ESSER funding coming to an end.
The West Seneca and Hamburg School Districts announced employees will be laid off as many schools try to navigate a fiscal strain.
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