Educators gathered at the board meeting, chanting union slogans and calling attention to what they described as a mounting strain on schools.
"Fighting for students, fighting teachers," they said.
The district recently disclosed that an additional $10 million in reductions is under consideration. Several teachers told board members the cuts would disproportionately affect what they called vulnerable students.
"Why are we balancing the budget on the backs of our most vulnerable students?" said social studies teacher Matt Wilmer. "And I think that these new round of cuts is just kind of a panic reset to try to, again, balance the budget."
A funding formula under review would reduce the number of assistant principals at 11 high schools. Those administrators could be reassigned, and any resulting vacancies would not be filled.
"We love our assistant principals. They do play a vital role in ensuring our schools are safe, ensuring our students are, you know, meeting their goals and making sure their needs are met," Wilmer said.
The proposal also calls for removing Instructional Support Specialists, who serve as tutors, and cutting about $500,000 in supplemental funds for lower-performing schools. Wake County Public School System Superintendent Dr. Robert Taylor presented the reductions after the board opted not to cut special education funding.
"They are now saying that there will not be any special ed cuts. However, what we're hearing from workers and what we're hearing from schools is that there will be cuts in higher positions, special education positions," said Emily Hooks, Wake NCAE vice president and a math teacher.
Board Chair Tyler Swanson reiterated the board's stance on protecting special education roles.
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"So to be clear, the board's position was no cuts to educators in special education. That commitment still remains," Swanson said. "However, what principals choose to do with their allotments is at the school level."
Swanson is a former special education teacher and pressed the North Carolina General Assembly to pass a budget that helps support schools.
"If the General Assembly increases their funding of what they provide for us, we will not be robbing Peter to pay Paul and robbing Peter, Paul and their cousins to keep the school system afloat," he said. "So we need support at the federal level as well as the state level to continue with the needs that we're seeing, because we are seeing more students being identified and resources being smaller and smaller."
The board could vote on the budget as early as May 5, before presenting it to the county board of commissioners on May 15.