JONESBORO, Ga. -- Grappling with a $38 million budget shortfall, the Clayton County School Board voted unanimously Monday night to slash 134 teaching positions next year.
Superintendent Edmond Heatley said the cuts were necessary to keep the school system financially solvent. Heatley had originally presented the school board with a budget reduction plan that called for eliminating music, art and middle-school athletic programs.
The board ultimately voted to spare those programs, instituting a $35 fee for students participating in after-school sports. The fee is designed to offset the costs of sparing the athletic program.
The school system will notify teachers by May 15 about whether or not they will have a job next year.