SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake City’s schools have lost so many students that, on paper, they needed to shed the equivalent of 76.5 full-time educators next year, district leaders warned Tuesday.
School board members voted to soften that cut by roughly half — but they also agreed to start the process of evaluating which of the district’s schools to close. The procedures for closing a school take two years to complete, Superintendent Timothy Gadson said.
“This district is getting smaller ... and we have to stand up and face that music. That’s what we’re here for,” board member Katherine Kennedy said. " ... We have to start now.”
Gadson said he will bring a study list of schools to the board by the end of the month, allowing discussions to begin in March. His list will be based on enrollment, the capacity of school buildings and educational opportunities for students, he said.
In the meantime, the board voted to have district staff move forward with a plan to reduce the teaching workforce by the equivalent of 42 full-time teachers in the 2022-23 school year.
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