A connection lost - 120 liaisons to be laid off
As we expressed concerns earlier on the upcoming budget cuts in the PG schools, the axe has finally fallen.
The school board voted 7-1 to approve the $1.66 billion budget for fiscal 2011, a $45 million cut from this year’s budget. The budget plan would eliminate 178 teachers and 120 parent liaisons – according to this report.
PTA members say removing teachers and other personnel out of schools should be the last thing trimmed from the budget.
“We’re terribly upset that any teachers are going to be laid off in this coming year,” – said one PTA president of the county school
The other victims of this cut will be the immigrant parents – who heavily depend on the parent – teacher liaison officers to meet their children’s needs. 120 of the liaison officers will have to leave the school system under the decision.
“I’m a father like everybody here,” said Jose Trujillo, speaking through an interpreter, “and I see they are going to cut off the only way of communication between parents and teachers.”