Budget cuts are trimming staff
Several northern Illinois school districts are cutting staff amid multi‑million‑dollar deficits, and Pitt County parents are publicly opposing proposed reductions that could eliminate nearly 70 teaching positions (northernpublicradio.org, reflector.com). Wake County is holding a budget input session for parents as proposed cuts draw community attention (wral.com). These staffing pressures are translating into larger classes and fewer specialists and interventionists, reducing capacity for small‑group conferencing and targeted supports (northernpublicradio.org).
School districts in northern Illinois and eastern North Carolina are cutting staff for next year, and parents are pushing back as class sizes and support services come under pressure. (northernpublicradio.org) In northern Illinois, Freeport School District 145 voted to eliminate dozens of positions to close a projected $11 million deficit, while Rockford Public Schools is cutting 110 jobs to erase a $15 million gap. (northernpublicradio.org, rockrivercurrent.com) Rockford’s list of cuts includes attendance specialists, curriculum directors, college and career readiness coaches, tutors and intervention staff, according to records reported April 14. (rrstar.com) In Pitt County Schools, Superintendent Steve Lassiter said the district could lose 67 teaching positions for 2026-27, including 14 state-funded and 53 locally funded jobs, after a drop in enrollment reduced state funding. (newsbreak.com) Pitt County officials said average daily membership fell from 23,918 in 2024-25 to 23,601 this school year, a loss of 317 students that translates to about $5.8 million less in state funding next year. (newsbreak.com) Wake County Public School System is not cutting special education positions after public backlash, but Superintendent Robert Taylor still proposed $5.2 million in reductions on April 7 and said more cuts may follow. (wral.com, wunc.org) Taylor’s April proposal included $2.5 million from transportation, $2.2 million by trimming 248 months of employment for elementary literacy coaches — about 25 ten-month teachers — plus $500,000 from instructional services. (wral.com) Wake school leaders say the squeeze comes from rising health, retirement, insurance and operating costs, charter school payments, and uncertainty over state funding for 2026-27. The district plans to ask Wake County for about $25 million more, but says costs still exceed expected revenue. (wcpss.net) Teachers in Freeport told WNIJ that the jobs being cut are often the adults who run reading and math interventions, library lessons and small-group support for struggling students. (northernpublicradio.org) Wake County scheduled public input sessions on April 8 and April 15, with a public hearing set for April 21 before the school board votes on a proposed budget in May. Across these districts, the next round of budget meetings will decide how much of the gap lands on classrooms. (wcpss.net, wral.com)
