Houston ISD $115 million budget shortfall, 'Reduction in Force'

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - It’s been a long week for the Houston Independent School District, and it’s not ending on a good note. The interim superintendent sent out a notification to all employees that there will be layoff for the upcoming school year.

The Houston Independent School District released the following statement on Friday:

The Houston Independent School District faces a $115 million budget shortfall for the 2018-19 school year. The Board of Education authorized a Reduction in Force (RIF) during its regular March meeting, excluding teachers in critical shortage areas. District staff being proposed for RIF began receiving notifications over the past several weeks. Many of these employees will find other positions within the district based on anticipated attrition. Not all impacted positions have been identified at this point. Our Human Resources Department will host several career support workshops available to all affected employees starting May 1. During these workshops, topics including benefits and leave balances, career marketing, resume writing, and interview tips will be addressed. We are committed to working with our employees as they transition into new roles.

Many parents and community activists saying they have lost hope in the district, and now many employees will have to dust off their resumes. “It’s sad, it’s unfortunate and quite frankly HISD needs to be held responsible for either a misuse of funds and just the lack of concern for the students and the teachers livelihoods.” says Sarah Williams, a community activist.

This is the result of a $115 million budget deficit due to recapture and rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Harvey. This reduction of force will include teachers, campus based employees and staff at the central office. The Houston Federation of Teachers says they are expecting between 200-250 layoffs. But they don’t put all the blame on the district, they say it’s also the fault of the state, doing more harm than good. “It’s time for them to own their part of the blame in this issue. They need to focus on fixing the funding issue, they need to focus on making sure schools are supported, and not denigrated and left for them to fend for themselves." Says union president, Zeph Capo.

Exactly how many people will be affected by the layoffs? That number is not known at this time. We will continue to keep you updated on these developments.