At this week’s Unit 2 School Board meeting, the board made several cuts to personnel after an executive session. The board voted to issue a notice of non-renewal of certified staff to Kari Massa. Notices of honorable dismissal of certified staff will be sent to Sarah King, Paul Thies, Tim Gusewelle, and Rachel Schumaker. Each of those motions carried 6 to 1, with board member James Jackson voting “no”.
The board also moved to issue notice for reduction from full-time to part-time employment of certified staff, including Laura Kraner, Erin Shevlin, Kedra Schuster, and Dustin Swarm. That motion passed 5-1-1, with Jackson voting “no” and Michael Timmerman abstaining.
Unit 2 Superintendent Jeff Strieker told WGEL the cuts were necessary due to a predicted reduction in funding for next year in the amount of $900,000 to $1 million. Additional cuts could be made next month, which could be followed by additional cuts to other programs, including extracurriculars or transportation, among many others.
During their meeting, Superintendent Strieker and several board members assured the packed room that if the budget cuts from the State were not as severe as predicted the staff impacted by the cuts could be brought back with no loss of time.
During the meeting, board members also urged the public to call their congressmen to voice concern on pending education cuts.
