Washington, Iowa district cutting nine teachers

Washington Community School District Superintendent Dave Sextro notified nine teachers today that their positions would be eliminated in the 2010-2011 school year. Sextro says the job cuts and a 90 cent tax increase would help the district make up an expected $930-thousand dollar funding shortfall for the coming school year.  The district also raised taxes last year.

Sextro says the teachers who were given their notices will remain in their positions through the end of the school year and could get called back once salary talks with the teachers are completed. The superintendent says he is required to notify teachers by April 30th if they will not be with the district next year. As it appears that salary negotiations with the teachers will go to mediation or arbitration he says this is a move he had to make now to balance the budget.

Sextro says the cuts are from “across the board” and at more than one school in the distrct. He says the nine teachers do everything from classroom teachers to fine arts teachers to coaches.