W. Va. school district decides job cuts by having teachers draw numbers from hat

A West Virginia school district has some educators scratching their heads after they had to choose numbers from a hat to determine whether they would still have their job in the 2017-2018 school year.

Due to a massive drop in enrollment, the Kanawha County School District announced last week that more than 70 positions would be cut due to a loss in state funding. On Thursday, 34 teachers in the school system had to draw a number from a hat to see if they would keep their current jobs, a local NBC News affiliate reported.

Kanawha County Schools told the station that the random selection procedure is part of code and based on seniority.

Rebecca Rhett, a kindergarten teacher at Overbrook Elementary, said teachers who drew 1-24 got to keep their jobs and those who drew 25-34 could face layoffs.

“I was already crying before I went up because I was frustrated, so when I drew the 28 I just left,” Mrs. Rhett told NBC.

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