Eastern Iowa School District Announces Shocking Layoffs

The Linn-Mar Community School District made the difficult announcement on Thursday that they would be cutting a significant amount of full-time positions next school year.

KCRG reports that even though the district made $3 million in cuts this school year, another $2.5 million would have to be made the next year as well. So, Linn-Mar announced Thursday that they would be cutting 50 full-time staff positions for the 2024/2025 school year.

According to KCRG, the cuts would include 19 full-time teaching positions and 31 full-time classified staff positions will be cut. The school district blames a combination of issues for the job cuts. COVID-19 relief funding for schools has come to an end, low funding from the state legislature, and declining enrollment are being listed as reasons for the job cuts.

In a letter to district staff and families, Linn-Mar superintendent Amy Kortemeyer says that the district "remains committed to balancing our budget and offering the best possible educational experience for our students. We want our staff and community to know that we will persevere through these challenges together", according to KCRG.

KCRG reports that teachers and staff affected by the job cuts have been notified. The district says that it also expects class sizes to return to pre-pandemic levels as a result of the job cuts.

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