Reitred teachers in the San Antonio ISD picketed the Central Office of the San Antonio ISD over the lunch hour today, protesting plans by superintendent Pedro Martinez to lay off as many as sixty teachers, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
“RIF Pedro, not our teachers!” the protesters chanted, referring to Reduction in Force.
The district this week has been discussing reducing the teaching staff to deal with an estimated $31 million shortfall caused by lower enrollment in several inner city schools.
Nancy Jeffrey taught at Carvajal Elementary for 38 years.
“It’s such a disrespect, not just to the sixty teachers who are losing their jobs, but to every teacher in the district,” she said. “How do they feel today?"
Elaine Pierce, who taught at Highland Hills Elementary School for most of her 42 year career in teaching, says the way the district is going about the layoffs doesn’t make any sense.
“They RIF’ed a kindergarten, bilingual teachers, and they are holding a job fair to hire bilingual teachers,” she said. “Its just not right.”
The issue is expected to catch fire Monday night, when teachers plan to protest the RIF at the Board of Education meeting.