Protestors shout up to Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson's office, protesting a recent Reduction in Force that laid off 172 Seattle teachers. CLICK PHOTO TO VIEW MORE IMAGES FROM THE PROTEST.
Teachers, parents and students all gathered outside Seattle School District headquarters on June 3 to protest the recent layoff of 172 teachers across the district, including 20 from West Seattle schools.
The rally occurred while Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson received her annual performance review insided the John Stanford Center.
Madison Middle School's Jesse Hagopian, a humanities teacher that was cut in the latest reduction in force, spoke out about the importance of maintaining teacher-student relationships and criticized Goodloe-Johnson's decision to close schools.
"If our children don't get the individual attention they deserve then they fall through the cracks," said Hagopian. "We need a better vision, we can do so much better in the Seattle School District."
Four teachers were have been cut from Madison, and Hagopian said they will be deeply missed by their students. The worst cut, he believes, was a counselor position.
Hagopian explained that school counselors are the only faculty that maintain a close relationship with students during all three years of middle school.
"That should be illegal," said Hagopian. "That's criminal."
Twenty instructors were cut from West Seattle schools.
Madison Middle School's staff lost a counselor, two social studies instructors and one instructor who taught history and language arts.
Three instructors from Chief Sealth High School were cut, including language arts and physical education teachers.
An upper-level classroom teacher from Schmitz Park Elementary and a counselor from West Seattle Elementary were also cut.
Cooper Elementary School staff, which will be redistributed to other local schools next year, also lost two classroom instructors.
The layoffs of 172 teachers and staff members, or 5 percent of the district's total certificated workforce, came in response to significant cuts in state funding, according to the district.
Goodloe-Johnson has explained that the cuts were made in response to an estimated $34 million budget shortfall for the upcoming school year.
