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Briarcliff School District classrooms saw dozens of familiar faces leave as the board opted to cut 27 teacher aides in February.
All 27 had worked in the Briarcliff School District for at least 10 years. But the board opted to cut the jobs and create 27 teaching assistant positions for the 2012-13 school year. The board voted 3-2 on both measures.
School board members Sal Maglietta and Jennifer Rosen, the current president and vice president of the board respectively, cast the dissenting votes.
"I think the turnover will be huge," Maglietta said before the votes in February. "It's a fail from my point of view."
Maglietta and Rosen both considered bringing the issue back to the board at a later date, but no motions or discussions have occurred with the new school year.
Before the vote, dozens of teachers in the school district wore black ribbons to show their support for the teacher aides.
“Many teachers have said they’re going to be there Monday dressed in black,” said Ginny Fitzgerald, co-president of the School Related Professional union, which represented the district’s aides. “They are distressed by this decision and seeing people being let go that have worked with them for a minimum of 10 years. They are not looking forward to losing up to 30 qualified people they care about.”
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