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Mead School District Says It Will Avoid Teacher Layoffs

Doug Nadvornick/SPR

Mead School District officials say it appears they won’t have to lay off any teachers as part of a plan to cut more than $11 million in spending.

School board president Carmen Green says administrators have been able to reduce the current workforce through early retirements, teachers taking long-term leave and other measures.

The district is hiring several teachers in the lower grades to fulfill state-mandated student-teacher ratios.

Now Green says administrators are working to firm up their staffing levels for classified employees. The school board this week approved a series of program reductions and reorganizations to try to minimize the effect on current staff.

The district is eliminating or postponing two major programs. Its Riverpoint Academy STEM and entrepreneurial program is scheduled to shut down for a couple of years. Its MEAD Alternative High School will be moved from its own location to Mead High School, something parents say will decrease the benefit of the program. Taken together, the district expects to save about $1.6 million.

Green says she’s still hearing from parents and students who are disappointed by those moves.