Pembroke schools lay off five staff, freeze hires as teacher bargaining proposals exceed budget

Pembroke Public Schools officials said the district laid off five employees on the last day of the school year and placed several vacant positions on a temporary hiring freeze after collective-bargaining proposals from employee groups exceeded the funds available in the town-approved budget.

Superintendent (name not specified) told the School Committee that 50 bargaining proposals have been received so far and "of those 50, more than 40 of them have a fiscal impact," and that those proposals significantly exceed the assumptions used to build the fiscal 2026 budget. The superintendent said the district exercised a hiring freeze and issued layoff notices to create capacity to continue negotiations over the summer.

The district said the five layoffs included four paraprofessionals and the high school librarian. Officials said the four paraprofessionals would remain district employees in other paraprofessional roles where possible, and that principals are working with volunteers and…