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Resident urges board to restore proposed cuts to English learner and special education positions
Summary
At the Henrico County School Board public forum, resident Marlene Sherlock said the proposed budget would cut 30 English learner teachers and 20 exceptional education positions and urged the board to find funds to restore them, saying classroom workloads have become untenable for teachers.
Marlene Sherlock, a Fairfield district resident, told the Henrico County School Board on March 26 that the proposed budget would eliminate 30 English learner (ELL) teacher positions and 20 exceptional education positions and urged the board to restore those roles.
"Go back, find the money for those teachers and assistants," Sherlock said during the public forum, arguing that rising caseloads, administrative demands and paperwork are driving teachers away. "At the end of the day, it still comes down to the caseload or classroom size for each teacher."
Sherlock noted prior presentations had emphasized increases in ELL staffing were needed to move the division closer to state-mandated ratios and asked whether the administration planned to cut other line items or accept smaller staffing levels because of limits set by the Board of Supervisors' funding. The board did not respond during the forum; staff follow-up was promised by Henrico staff, per the board's public-forum procedure.
The transcript records Sherlock saying specific position counts (30 ELL teachers and 20 exceptional education positions) and raising concerns about reductions to counselors, nurses and other student supports. The speaker urged the board to prioritize classroom instructors over administrative or training positions and warned of union and legal costs the division could face if staffing choices trigger disputes.
No board member replied during the public comment period. The board later moved through consent business and adjourned. The division's proposed budget documents and any formal staff responses were not included in the meeting transcript; the figures Sherlock cited were presented in her remarks and are recorded here as her claim rather than as board confirmation.
