Parents and teachers urge Ann Arbor board to pause $25 million cuts, warn of layoffs and larger class sizes

Dozens of parents, teachers and students told the Ann Arbor Board of Education at the start of its study session that a plan to cut roughly $25 million in operating expenses in one year would force widespread teacher layoffs and sharply larger class sizes.

The comment period, limited to 30 minutes for the study session, centered on calls to preserve teacher positions and student‑facing staff. "Our teachers go above and beyond their duty on a daily basis," wrote Christina Downey, a parent at Abbott Elementary. "I stand with our AAPS teachers," she added.

The urgency of the public remarks reflected broad worry about how fast the district is moving. "I do not support your rush process to cut $25 million in one year," Iva Abrienne Visala, a parent at Ebra White Elementary School, told trustees. Several speakers urged the board to explore non‑personnel savings first, consider attrition before layoffs and release a multi‑year plan so staff and families can plan.

Speakers described concrete classroom and school impacts: a parent said their daughter’s kindergarten class had 27 students, and a student wrote that frequent teacher turnover left his class behind. Lydia Mitchell, a parent and PTO president, asked the board what metrics it had seen about how staffing cuts would affect enrollment and Title I schools.

Educators and union representatives pressed for a measured response. Fred Klein, president of the Ann Arbor Education Association, said the district should avoid rash action and make use of the state’s allowance to phase corrections over up to five years. "Do not make rash decisions based on very conservative assumptions that will exact a devastating human toll," he said.

Several commenters asked for more transparency about administrative spending and past decisions. An Ann Arbor paraprofessional questioned a single March purchase she said cost more than three times a classroom assistant’s annual pay, and multiple speakers called for a public accounting of travel and other central‑office expenses.

Superintendent Jazz Parks told the board that many of the points raised would be addressed in the budget presentation that followed. Trustees asked staff for a clearer public timeline and more granular building‑level and program‑level cost data before any final decisions.

What's next: staff said they will develop a comprehensive district plan that incorporates community input and will bring recommendations back to the board in the coming weeks. The board has not taken formal votes on cuts or layoffs at this meeting.