Mansfield City Schools Implements Staff Cuts

Job Security for Teachers Amid Administrative Layoffs

Mansfield City Schools’ teachers have received a year of job security, while the district made the difficult decision to let go of several administrative staff during a school board meeting on Tuesday. Board members approved a contract with the Mansfield School Employees Association, extending until June 30, 2026.

Brad Strong, president of the union, noted that the memorandum of understanding was supported by 94% of its members. Chris Elswick, the school board president, stated that ensuring the teachers' security was crucial for the district amidst challenging circumstances, expressing a desire to finalize a three-year contract this summer, pending state approval.

Details on Job Eliminations

During the same meeting, board members voted to eliminate 11 administrative positions, effective Monday. This includes the roles of director of personnel and district behavior analyst, occupied by Mark Wilcheck and Dahni Reynolds, respectively. Additionally, nine executive assistant positions were cut across various departments:

• Three in personnel and human resources
• One in academic services
• One in pupil services
• Two in the treasurer's office
• One handling education management information systems
• One in central registration

Of the eleven positions affected, seven staff members will be suspended, while Charlotte Bottomley and Cynthia Sallee have chosen to retire effective April 1, along with Andrea Moyer, director of school improvement and safety, who will retire on July 1.

Impact on the School District's Budget

These layoffs follow a previous decision to cut 57 teaching positions last month to address budget issues. Stan Jefferson, the district's superintendent, expressed the painful nature of the layoffs, emphasizing that losing employees is always a difficult situation. The approach taken aims to manage budget constraints without targeting specific individuals, maintaining that only about 10 teachers who desired employment with the district will remain without positions next year due to attrition.