OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — After a tense school board meeting Wednesday night, the Oshkosh Area School Board approved district budget cuts that will eliminate about 40 full time positions.
- After public feedback, the district revised its original budget plan.
- About 40 positions are being cut, though the district will use scheduled retirements to offset the cuts.
- Community, equity and engagement position is saved, but media specialists and literary support positions remain on the chopping block.
After dropping administrative raises for the 2026-27 school year, the district says they need to cut $5.5 million from the budget.
Originally, the district proposed cutting about 70 positions throughout the elementary, middle, high school and district levels. But after strong community push back, the district revised its suggestions.
The school board approved the revisions in a 4-3 vote Wednesday night.
The new plan cuts about 40 positions and no longer asks elective teachers to teach an extra period. Superintendent Bryan Davis says this will mean some increased class sizes.
"The important part was what the Board did last night- to be able to approve the reductions in time for us to start our staffing process at the end of January," Davis says. "So kids start signing up for classes, and we start sorting through what we are offering for next year."
Some positions and programs were saved, including the community, equity and engagement and mental strength positions, as well as drivers education and peer coaching.
Other positions remain on the chopping block, including literacy support and media specialists.
"We're seeing an increase in lower literacy scores, and I think literacy specialists are essential in being part of the solution to that problem," Jamie Kobs, manager of tutor training and digital literacy at Wisconsin Literacy.
Wisconsin Literacy is a non profit coalition of literacy agencies across the state. Kobs is a licensed K-12 reading teacher.
"It probably seems like a cost saving measure right now to cut literacy positions, but I think it's going to end up costing those students in the district and our communities more in the long run," she says.
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Tensions rose at the board meeting Wednesday night when board member Kelly DeWitt put forward a resolution to fire superintendent Davis.
"I'm not happy with the direction of this district," DeWitt said at the meeting.
Her resolution was voted down, 5-2, and board president Beth Wyman critiqued DeWitt for not attending school tours and committee meetings.
"You have not taken advantage or given back in your role as a board member," Wyman said.
Superintendent Davis says budget discussions are ongoing, and there will need to be reductions next year as well.
"This is a state funding, public education funding, issue, so this isn't going to be the only year that we go through this process," he says. "We won't be going to this extent, likely, in the next couple years as we move forward, but we will be going through a reduction process and just because, simply, our revenues that we're getting from the state, aren't keeping up with inflation."
