Linn-Mar announces to lay off staff as a part of $2.5 million in cuts

The Linn-Mar Community School District on Thursday announced to reduce its 50 full-time staff positions in the district for the 2024-2025 school year.

The 50 staff members include 19 teachers and 31 other classified staff– paraprofessionals, office workers, custodians, bus drivers, and business managers, reports thegazette.com.

The Linn-Mar Community School authorities took the decision as part of $2.5 million in budget cuts.

The district at Monday’s board meeting announced that although they made nearly $3 million in cuts this school year, another $2.5 million would have to be made in cuts for the next one.

Linn-Mar superintendent Amy Kortemeyer said as a district, they are focused on managing these financial challenges while striving to minimize the impact on our operations and the quality of the educational experience their students receive.

“As every staff member provides exceptional value to students and families, we do not make the decision casually. However, To maintain a healthy financial position, we must take action to balance our budget and meet our obligation,” said Kortemeyer.

School officials expect class sizes to return with about 21 to 25 students per class at the elementary level, which was before the pandemic.

By use of federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds, many schools recruited more teaching staff to decline class sizes and assist students learn during the pandemic, but it expired on September 30.

Kortemeyer said they notified families about the educators and staff affected by the reductions.