“Closing a $34 million budget gap requires a combination of strategies,” Goodloe-Johnson said. She noted that the district has already implemented a number of budget-cutting strategies, including a reduction in central office staff, hiring freezes, increased efficiencies in operations such as transportation and nutrition services, closing schools, a responsible use of reserves, and freezing cost-of-living-adjustments.

“This is a very painful decision to have to make,” she said. “We worked for many months to keep budget cuts away from the classroom. It is extremely difficult to lay off teachers and school-based staff, people who make a difference in students’ lives every day.”