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Teachers, staff urge board to reconsider budget cuts, say 'Summit can do better'
Summary
Teachers and union representatives told the Board of Education that recent budget cuts and staff reductions have damaged morale and risked program continuity, urging more inclusive planning and transparency in future budget cycles.
At the May 13 Summit Board of Education meeting, teachers and the Summit Education Association urged the board and district leadership to reconsider recent budget cuts and to involve staff earlier in budgeting decisions, saying the district’s approach has harmed morale and services.
"Summit can do better," Tiffany Bennett, an eighth-grade math teacher at LCJ Middle School and president of the Summit Education Association, told the board. Bennett said members were "disappointed that we were not asked for input in the early stages" of the budget process and listed a series of staffing and program reductions that concern educators, including the elimination of technology coaches, library secretaries, a dedicated district mental-health clinician, and cuts to the high-school summer academy program.
Several early-career teachers described turnover and instability. Jessica Morley, a fourth- and fifth-grade band teacher and sixth-grade band director, said she has observed multiple administrative changes across schools since 2021 and that many colleagues in her cohort no longer teach in the district. Drama teacher Julia Store read collective remarks from younger teachers who said some were reluctant to speak publicly because they are not yet tenured.
The Board acknowledged speakers and said it hears the concerns. The district’s communications committee had previously noted that the dedicated mental-health clinician position was eliminated as part of this year’s budget adjustments and that mental-health support will continue to be provided through school counselors and the child study team, the committee report said during the meeting.
Speakers asked for clearer long-range financial planning, assurances about future staffing stability and earlier union engagement in budget decisions. Bennett asked the district to "invite us to the table" and to include teacher perspectives in long-range decisions.
No formal board action was taken in response to public comment at the meeting; the board directed that questions raised during public comment would be answered either at the next board meeting or directly by the superintendent or a designee.
