Baltimore city school - 150 Layoff Notices

More than 150 Baltimore city school employees received layoff notices Wednesday, part of a promised cost-saving measure in city schools CEO Gregory Thornton's first budget.

School officials said that 159 staff positions were eliminated and another 16 employees have been reassigned. The layoffs were the first in the district in at least a decade.

Thornton, who took over as school system CEO last summer, said in previous budget discussions that at least 100 central office staff would be let go this year. He has been working to close a $108 million gap in the budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

Thornton said in a statement that the decision to cut jobs was a “challenging” one. Some staff, he said, were let go immediately; others will go June 30.

The layoffs, he said, are “necessary not only to balance the budget for the upcoming year, but to put the district on the path to financial stability for the long term.”

“By taking this difficult step today, we’re investing in our students for tomorrow.”
City school officials declined to answer questions about the layoffs, including how much the job cuts would save the district.

Thornton had hired consultants to identify inefficiencies at the central office, such as duplicate jobs and services. In a letter to staff Wednesday, he wrote that the decisions were not based on performance, and the district would help those who were laid off find jobs.

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