CADILLAC -- There were some tough decisions on the table Monday night for several area school districts, with student programs and dozens of jobs on the line. Cadillac, Kingsley and Manton are all talking cuts.
The Cadillac School board voted to outsource several services which will leave nearly 40 workers without jobs. Due to a decrease in state funding, Cadillac Public Schools is entering the 2012-2013 school year with a $1.4 million dollar deficit.
So to balance the budget board members voted to cut 22 food service employees and 17 custodian workers. The work will now be outsourced, saving the district $400,000 dollars per year. A business called Chartwell's will take over food services and a company Enviro-Clean Services will now handle janitorial work.
But these changes and cuts come as a huge blow to dozens of Cadillac school workers who will soon be out of a job.
Joshua Markham has been a custodian for Cadillac Schools for more than 10 years and says, "We have custodians and cooks that have worked here from anywhere from 10 to 20, even 30 years and these people have dedicated their lives to the school district...they've dedicated their lives to investing into the children of this community. The school district is making a poor choice and it's going to negatively affect the kids in our school district."
But Interim Cadillac Superintendent Pat Briggs says, "It's a tough situation and this is one of the toughest decisions the district has made in recent times, but this will hopefully stabilize the budget for the future."
The layoffs will go into effect on August 8th.
