Nettle Creek superintendent: affected staff will be notified next week; public disclosure waits on legal notice period

The Nettle Creek School Corporation superintendent said the district will begin privately notifying employees who may be affected by an upcoming reduction in force within the next week, but that public disclosure will wait until legal timelines finish.

"That information will not be made public by administrators and school board members until the legal timeline has passed," the superintendent said, adding that "that timeline requires at least 10 days" and that the administration expects to call a special board meeting before the regular June session to finalize the staffing decisions. She said the legal timeline could be longer depending on affected employees' actions.

Trustees and community members expressed empathy for staff. In public comment, Dan Davis said, "What you're doing is not easy," and praised the superintendent: "Emily Schaefer is the best hire our school has made in the last 50 years." Board members repeatedly stressed that decisions are driven by financial realities and emphasized support for students and educators while they pursue long-term stability.

Board members declined to release details on numbers or specific positions ahead of individual notices; the superintendent said exact counts and the identities of positions would be shared with affected employees first and then discussed publicly at the special meeting. The board did not take a formal vote on staffing at the meeting; members said that formal action will follow the notice period and the special meeting.