FORSYTH COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) — The reaction is still strong coming from parents, teachers and the community, just days after Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools finalized its reduction-in-force plan.
It’s all to balance a $46 million budget deficit.
On Wednesday night, district employees received a detailed email, breaking down everything, from the timeline to the positions that will be impacted.
The biggest hit is landing on exceptional children teachers and assistants.
A mother, who did not want to be identified, said her heart was broken as she tried to explain to her son, who is an exceptional children student, that some of his teachers won’t be at school anymore.
“I tried to give my child information without a lot of emotion in it, but he put that emotion in immediately and said, ‘Well, I wouldn’t be as smart as I am without the EC teachers, and I wouldn’t be able to learn in the way my brain needs to,’” the mother said.
She says in EC programs that personal touch is just so important, and she would know.
Her 12-year-old son has been in the EC program since he was three.
“That’s been his whole experience with education, and it’s been vital to his growth,” she said.
Now, she’s preparing to supplement her son’s education at home
“I think us as EC parents are always having to help with that extra support from home anyway, but if they are coming home at the end of the day where they’ve gotten less support, that is going to take a toll,” the mother said.
Parents aren’t the only ones worried. Teachers like Rachel Neagle, an EC teacher in the district, said those concerns are playing out in their daily lives.
“You see these kids every day, and you go in … That’s why you’re there and to know that you can be taken from them at any point and know that they are not going to get the support they need legally,” Neagle said.
According to the WS/FCS, the reason why EC is seeing the most cuts is that EC has more staff than it is funded by the state, and with the cuts, they will still be meeting the state’s DPI standards.
For instance, the current teacher-to-student ratio for teacher assistants is one to four. The state’s requirement is one to twelve. After the cuts, it will be one to eight. This means one teacher assistant can teach up to eight students.
However, Neagle says each student’s needs cannot be defined by a ratio.
“Some students need emotional regulation. Some students can elope out of anxiety, fear, being at school because it’s unfamiliar,” Neagle said.
When FOX8 brought these concerned voices to the school district, they responded in a statement, saying: “WS/FCS is committed to making sure all students with disabilities receive a free appropriate public education. Every student’s individualized education program will still be followed as written.”
According to the school district, the cuts from EC alone will save them about $6.3 million.
The reductions will be determined based on factors like how long you have worked for the school district, what licenses you have and if you’ve faced any disciplinary actions.
Source: Fox 8 News Channel
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