Budget and Services Cuts Detailed in Christina School District

In response to last week’s defeat of the two options open to voters in the Christina School District for raising revenue, officials in the Christina School District released a list of immediate actions they are taking to deal with the looming budget shortfall that required the referendum in the first place.

It includes an immediate hiring freeze and denying all travel requests by district personnel, as well as reducing summer programs and after school activities. Superintendent Freeman Williams says that the district won’t cut sports programs during the current school year, but that could happen in the near future.

“Maybe eliminating a freshman athletic team, consolidating our JV and Varsity teams, would be potential things that would have to be reviewed if we were able to go out for a second referendum and it were not to pass,” he said. He also said that the district is trying not to cut programs that directly affect students’ academic performance. […]

But the District is inviting union stakeholders to discuss cutting jobs or teacher pay, though it can’t act without agreement from those groups. Administrator’s pay is also on the table.

Ah yes, let’s cut teacher’s pay and teacher jobs, so that we can make life even more difficult on the state’s most shat on profession. Fuck no. Not one teacher job or teacher dollar is to be cut. Cut the entire sports program, specific classes and bus transportation. Make the parents who voted this referendum down suffer, not the teachers.