CROSBY, Texas – The Crosby Independent School District board voted Monday to terminate the contracts of 33 employees after declaring a financial emergency last week.
Board members approved a recommendation to lay off the employees who were on a Chapter 21 or non-Chapter 21 contract, according to a statement released Tuesday by officials.
The jobs being cut include:
- Federal program specialist
- Director of certifications
- Director of transportation
- District social studies coordinator
- Elementary science coordinator
- Secondary science coordinator
- Special education instructional coordinator
- District testing and accountability coordinators
- Special education behavior specialist
The district also released the names of the other employees who were terminated, but KPRC2 has opted not to publish those names.
Board members said at last week’s meeting that about $5.5 million needed to be cut through layoffs, according to the Houston Chronicle.
The report said the district’s new chief financial officer found “cash-flow issues” relating, in part, to construction spending.
“We’ve been living fat for a number of years, and some jobs have to be cut to get this thing going right. It’s unfortunate, it’s sad, but this has to be done,” said David Shaver, a father with three children attending Crosby ISD schools.
“There is no doubt there has (been) overspending. The general rule is to spend no more than 80 percent of your budget on payroll, and we have been at times closer to 89 percent on payroll and we can’t afford that in a district of our size. The new superintendent is committed to making the right decisions. We will survive this, this is a great school district,” said Dan Meaux, a well-known local businessman and a father whose daughter, Micah, is attending Crosby High School.
As to the question of whether there will be more layoffs, Crosby ISD Superintendent Dr. Scott Davis said, “Absolutely, sadly, it has to happen.”
Asked how many more people will lose their jobs, Davis said he won’t say right now, not until all of the people who are being cut have been notified and talked to, but we should know within just a few days.
The district will also hold a special meeting to discuss the yearly audit report sometime next week.
The date and time of that meeting have not been announced, but parents and the public will be welcome to attend.
Channel 2 News will let you know when that meeting will take place as soon as we have the date and time.