BEREA, Ky. (LEX 18) — More than 20 Berea Community Schools teachers and staff will soon be without a job following major teacher and staffing cuts that were announced during a school board meeting on Monday.
Berea High School students are now making their voices heard with a 'walk out' that took place Wednesday morning.
"We just came up with this idea yesterday. It was just really out of the blue, just kind of something that we mentioned doing and we show up to school the next day and it's done and it really just shows that we are a community and we are here for each other," said Brinkley Osborne, a senior at Berea High School.
During a school board meeting Monday night, Berea Schools Superintendent Dr. Diane Hatchett announced cuts were being made and contracts would not be renewed. Hatchett says the cuts are due to overspending.
"I think right now we're just out here showing support for our teachers our faculty and staff. Showing them that we're here to support them like they've supported us all throughout our high school," said Osborne.
Hundreds of students stood on the front lawn of Berea High School, holding signs and chanting in support of those affected. The group even marched over to the Board of Education to express their disappointment.
"When I saw them come out of the building, I had a little cry on the sidewalk. Kids these days get a bad rap I think about not being engaged. Not caring about the world around them and this shows me that our kids are willing to stand up for what matters to them and what matters in this community, so I'm so proud of them today," said Katie Basham, a parent of a student at Berea High School. "Public schools in Kentucky are special places where kids find a sense of belonging. Grown ups care about them. They learn about the book stuff but they also learn about the important lessons. Vital that we take good care of public schools and especially right now in the Berea community."
Some of those cuts are as follows:
- District positions: 8
- Elementary School positions: 10
- Middle School positions: 5.5
- High School positions: 8.5
- Pre-school positions: 1
"Along with the fact our teachers are losing their jobs and being blamed for things that they had zero part in. It was all the board and our superintendent and we want to show them support in this hard time," said Kasey Brown, a senior at Berea High School.
Parents at Monday's board meeting presented district treasurer reports, pointing out submitted travel expenditures by Dr. Hatchett as a problem.
"I'm fighting for Ms. Brown," said Osborne.
"Ms. Brown. Ms. VanWinkle. Ms. Munsey. They have helped me so much, not just through schoolwork, but they have helped me mentally and physically. They have helped me from freshman year until now, and I really love and support them," said Brown.
Dr. Hatchett is retiring at the end of this school year.
