The Fayette County Board of Education Monday night approved the retirement of 28 employees and the resignations of eight others. The majority of those retiring are teachers and administrative staff.
The board weeks ago announced the need to eliminate approximately 310 school system jobs before the next school year begins in July.
Among those retiring in the next two months, 14 are teachers while a number of others hold positions in various administrative posts.
The retiring teachers come from across the school system. As for the administrative staff leaving by the end of the year, those include Fayette County High School Principal Charles Warr, Science Coordinator Sharon Boyer, Rising Starr Middle School Principal Lenore Patton, Mathematics Coordinator Lynn Ridgeway, Lafayette Educational Center Director Ed Steil, Hood Avenue Primary School Assistant Principal Marilyn Teat, and Reading Coordinator Deborah Wheat.
The school board recently agreed to trim a total of 310 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions from the school system’s workforce that totals 2,576 employees. Of those positions to be cut, approximately 144 will be certified jobs such as those held by teachers, counselors, principals and assistant principals, 145 will be classified positions such as parapros and secretaries and 25 positions will come from central office and in support positions.
The final decision on the number and designation of the positions to be cut both at schools and central office will likely be announced later this month.
The school board in the past several years has eliminated nearly 300 jobs due to the worsening economic conditions that surfaced in Fayette County as the Great Recession took hold. With the proposed reductions of 310 FTEs, the total school system employment numbers would fall from the current 2,575.79 employees to 2,268.6 employees, a reduction of approximately 12 percent of the school system’s workforce.
And it has been during the past several years that student enrollment has also seen dramatic decreases. In all, Fayette has seen enrollment drop by approximately 2,000 students during those years and the school system expecting to see another decrease of up to 300 students next year.
