Kansas City Lays Off 175 Teachers

Just weeks before the school year starts, 175 teachers in Kansas City were given layoff notices. According to the Kansas City Star, the majority of the cuts were the result of 24 schools being closed. The report called the number of layoffs not as drastic as had been feared in recent days.

The district has trimmed its payroll by more than 1,000 employees in the last year.  About 600 employees left involuntarily with the remainder, who were eligible for retirement, taking a collective $5 million in buyouts from the district.

Overall, the district has 2,220 employees for the 2010-2011 school year, down from 3,380 the previous term.