The city’s school district plans to spend bulk of the $4.3 million in extra school aid it received in late July on hiring teachers, security, and other staff, according to a report issued by acting superintendent Eileen Shafer on Saturday afternoon.
The district is hiring 15 teachers, 15 security staff, 6 instructional aides, 5 speech therapists, 2 substance abuse counselors, 2 occupational therapists, 2 librarians, 2 behaviorists, a vice principal for the Alexander Hamilton Academy, a nurse, and a cafeteria monitor for the Young Men’s Academy.
$3.33 million is going towards paying salaries and benefits for the new positions.
School officials had said the new funds would be used to re-hire some of the teachers cut during the budget process earlier in the year. 194 positions were cut in the spring. Of those positions 76 people were laid off and 118 were eliminated through attrition – retirements and resignations.
Cuts were precipitated by an almost $42 million budget shortfall. Some school board members blamed the state for underfunding the district.
4 of the new security hires will be for John F. Kennedy High School, 3 for Eastside High School, and 8 for elementary schools. The cafeteria monitor is for
As for the rest of the extra funds: $514,000 is budgeted for student health insurance, $400,000 for unspecified lawsuit, and $30,000 for lockers at Harp Academy, according to the report.
The school board will vote on the plan at its meeting tonight.
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