Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent Peter Gorman says teachers calling for administrative layoffs have their facts wrong. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Association of Educators yesterday organized a protest of teacher layoffs and called for "pruning the top" instead.
Gorman proposes eliminating 456 teachers and 83 assistant principals. Right now, the district is planning based on a possible $79 million dollar shortfall in next year's budget, but that number is expected to grow. And Gorman said today significant trimming is already planned in non-classroom positions. He said, "What I would say is the first 55 million come out of largely administrative cuts and other areas." That includes about 300 positions related to central office operations and academic support. But there are no specifics on whether any of those are executive positions. The remaining $24 million would come from trimming those classroom positions. Gorman says it's just not possible to plan for a reduced budget without eliminating these positions.