Get AI Briefings, Transcripts & Alerts on Local & National Government Meetings — Forever.
Teachers, paraprofessionals and parents press board to reduce layoffs, restore pay and keep world languages
Loading...
Summary
Dozens of teachers, paraprofessionals, students and parents urged the Ann Arbor board to protect staff and programs as administrators proposed cuts; union leaders said the $25 million one‑year cut target is unnecessary and promoted voluntary severance and multi‑year approaches.
A steady stream of public testimony at the May 15 Ann Arbor Public Schools board meeting focused on the human impact of the administration’s proposed reductions.
Paraeducators and teachers repeatedly urged the board to renew a memorandum of agreement (MOA) that provided critical‑needs pay to many special‑education paraeducators this year. Bridgette Clements, a paraeducator who read a consolidated statement for colleagues, said the MOA was widely implemented for only a portion of eligible staff and that reversing the agreement would amount to pay cuts for low paid employees who work directly with students with IEPs. "Paraeducators, teachers, and students should not be collateral damage to this district's central office and this board's failures with managing APS's finances," she said during her reading.
Students and parents described classroom and program impacts. A Huron High School student asked the board to hold those responsible to account for financial decisions that she said harmed students and teachers; multiple parents asked the board to restore or protect elementary world language and school libraries. Teachers spoke about lost leadership at Carpenter Elementary, understaffing in Title I schools, and the toll of prolonged uncertainty.
The Ann Arbor Education Association spoke during the associations report. AAEA representatives described ongoing bargaining, urged renewal of the MOA where possible, and said the Treasury process does not require the district to make $25 million in cuts in a single year if it demonstrates positive corrective steps. The union representative also summarized a voluntary severance letter of agreement negotiated with the district and urged trustees to prioritize staff protections.
Several parents pressed for transportation changes, especially added Huron High School bus service for Berkeley Park, Chapel Hill and Arbor Hills; speakers described long, dark winter walks that they called unsafe for students.
The volume and tone of testimony — including testimony from teachers who said they will leave and parents who said they might withdraw students — were a recurrent theme. Several speakers demanded clearer, school‑level data and transparency on why the shortfall occurred and how program decisions were selected.
The board thanked speakers and noted all written comments would be posted in BoardDocs. Trustees and administration said they would continue to engage directly with staff and the unions on details of the voluntary severance program and the timeline for notifications.
Next steps: Community members asked the board to consider alternatives to immediate, deep cuts and to include staff perspective in any final decisions at the scheduled special meeting.
