By CHRIS COLLINS
(Greenfield, MA) — It’s looking like another tough year for teacher layoffs in the Greenfield Public Schools,
Greenfield School Committee Chair Amy Proietti told the city council Wednesday night that budget constraints are once again likely to result in personnel reductions next school year.
“This is something we’ve dealt with before,” Proietti said. “There are districts out there that have gone a decade or more without any reductions, but, unfortunately, we have some reductions just about every year in the Greenfield schools.”
Proietti said the district is required to notify the teacher’s union of impending layoffs by no later than June 5. The budget approved by the city council earlier this month was once again significantly lower than the amount requested by the school administration, as has been the case for each of the last four budget cycles.
Proietti said further complicating things has been the COVID 19 pandemic, which forced the district to scramble this spring to develop a “remote learning” curriculum which may have to be extended into the next school year depending on what happens with viral contagion rates during the summer.