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Teachers, nurses and librarians urge Beloit board to spare classroom staff, health and library positions
Summary
At a May 12 special board meeting, multiple staff and community members urged the School District of Beloit to preserve dual‑language staffing at Hackett, retain nursing leadership and avoid library and student‑support cuts, citing student safety and learning impacts.
Several teachers, nurses and other staff told the School District of Beloit Board of Education on May 12 that proposed budget cuts would harm student safety and learning.
Jessica Weed, a 26‑year teacher at Hackett, told the board the school’s split K–3 dual‑language configuration is showing “extreme growth” in reading and that the district should "rely on data, not feelings" when considering reassigning bilingual staff. She said a 19‑page presentation from Hackett staff and follow‑up data demonstrating growth were not given adequate consideration before a district decision was communicated.
Emily Ray, a district school nurse, framed the proposed elimination of two RNs and the director of school health as a safety issue: "If there are only 3 nurses for 10 schools, there will be times when a school does not have a nurse available during an emergency. That is not just a possibility, it's a guarantee." Ray cited district figures for health workload — roughly 4,600–4,800 student health encounters and more than 5,600 medications a month — and said reducing nursing leadership would increase reliance on outside services and risk nonlicensed staff being asked to perform clinical tasks.
Lauren Burner, a librarian at Gaston, said school libraries circulate thousands of books and provide technology support, quiet study space and instruction aligned to state standards; she cited 57,000 district library checkouts since September and said removing librarians would cost literacy and instructional time.
Union and community voices echoed concerns. James Hoye, co‑president of the Voya Education Association, urged the board to use attrition where possible, to protect classroom positions and to move quickly on a focused referendum that explains what is being requested and the consequences if it fails. Other commenters — including a dean of students, counselors and multiple teachers — warned that eliminating roles such as deans, nurses, library staff and paraprofessionals would increase behavioral incidents, reduce instructional time and trigger further staff departures.
Board response and context: Board members acknowledged the depth of staff testimony and asked administration to quantify the fiscal tradeoffs, potential Medicaid revenue linked to nursing positions and grant dependencies tied to positions such as CTE leads. The superintendent said he would return with several options and proposed early building‑level community engagement to shape any referendum.
Ending: Public commenters asked the board to preserve roles that directly affect students’ day‑to‑day safety and learning. The board directed staff to incorporate the testimony into budget options to be presented at the next meeting.
Representative quotes: "We should rely on data, not feelings," Jessica Weed said. Emily Ray said cuts would “increase risk to students” and that the director of school health is "essential."
