Shorewood board approves preliminary nonrenewal notices and four FTE reductions amid budget shortfall

On April 29, 2025, the Shorewood School District Board of Education voted to issue preliminary notices of nonrenewal for two staff contracts and to approve preliminary notices for four staff FTE reductions as part of a package of budget‑balancing measures presented by district administrators.

District Superintendent Heather (last name not specified in transcript) told the board the actions were time‑sensitive: "We are obligated by state statute to make staff changes, notices of nonrenewal of full‑time FTE reductions by tomorrow," she said, framing the votes as required by law and timetable. After discussion, the motion to approve the FTE reductions passed on a divided vote recorded in the meeting as 3–1 in favor; the transcript records approval of the two staff contract nonrenewals without a numerical tally.

The votes followed more than two hours of public comment, during which teachers, coaches and parents urged the board to find alternatives to cuts. High‑school English department chair Sheila Mooney told the board: "We risk losing good teachers because of these cuts. We will lose good teachers because of these cuts." Teacher Haley Coutts framed the choice in plain terms: "Are we feeding the future of our students? Are…