Fort Worth ISD to Cut Support Staff

FORT WORTH, Texas - Fort Worth teachers won’t feel the budget crunch as much as those in other districts, but the support staff will.

On Tuesday night the school board approved a plan to eliminate 553 positions to make up an expected $30 million that will no longer be coming from the state.

No contract or probationary teachers were cut. However, about 200 teachers did accept a $5,000 early incentive to leave.

Mostly secretaries, counselors, janitors and other members of the support staff were victims of the remaining cuts. Some positions were already vacant and some were funded with temporary funds.

The union representing teachers said they avoided a bullet on this one.

“We’ve worked with this superintendent since October and she’s decided to use the scalpel and not the sword. We’re pretty lucky. They’ll be cuts and we’ll feel the pain but it’s not the pain that’s being felt across the state,” said Larry Shaw of the United Educators Association.

The district’s plan means class sizes won’t go up after all the cuts. Though Shaw believes that is inevitable.