Brockton laying off 130 public school teachers
BROCKTON - Brockton is laying off 130 public school teachers. That's more than eight percent of the city's teachers' union membership.
Superintendent Michael Thomas said the district has lost nearly 1,350 students in the last three years. That drop in enrollment and an $18 million budget deficit forced them to eliminate the 130 jobs.
More cuts are coming in the next few days for other district employees who aren't in the union.
"While we are confident that our five-year district improvement process will encourage new families to move to Brockton, unfortunately our current enrollment does not support existing staffing levels," Thomas said in a statement.
"This is in no way a reflection of the incredible work that our educators do every day and I am greatly disappointed that it has come to this."
Brockton has the fifth largest student enrollment in the Massachusetts, behind Boston, Worcester, Springfield and Lynn.