NEWPORT, Ky. — The Newport Board of Education voted Wednesday to move forward with a budget framework that would cut 21 positions across the district.
So many people attended Wednesday's meeting that the board was forced to move out of their typical meeting room and into the Intermediate School's cafeteria to fit the students, staff and parents concerned about the decision to cut jobs.
The threat of lost jobs prompted Newport Teachers Association President Esther Fatsy to call for the board to hold a "no-confidence" vote in Superintendent Tony Watts.
"A vote of no-confidence is letting the board know that we have no faith in our superintendent because he has not led us to where we need to go," Fatsy said.
Watch as Newport teachers call for the superintendent to go:
The union made their call for new leadership after a series of speakers, including Newport High School freshman Holly Macario-Avila, whose passionate speech calling for teacher positions to be protected drew cheers from people in the audience.
"I advise you to rethink this decision," Macario-Avila said. "We want to succeed without having to come down to cutting teachers. It's unfair and unjust."
The district had recently faced a nearly $2 million budget shortfall and cited a loss of pandemic-era funding as part of the issue facing the district at a meeting in mid-February.
District Chair Ramona Malone said district leadership understood the speaker's concerns at the end of public comment.
"We hear you," she said.
Alright, take two.So many people showed up that the room exceeded capacity and we had to move everything to the cafeteria.I’ll have a full 🧵 of developments here.@WCPO https://t.co/VFGQzFcrQw pic.twitter.com/J7xR5HO5qF
— Sean DeLancey (@SeanDeLanceyTV) February 27, 2025
However, Malone said the 4-1 vote at Wednesday's meeting was only a framework budget allocation and specific jobs to be cut were still uncertain. At this time, officials have only said they will be cutting eight jobs at the intermediate school, nine at the high school and four at the primary school.
Malone said the board would decide on specifics at a work session meeting on March 12 at 6:30 p.m. at district headquarters.
"Our job is to make sure we have sufficient positions throughout the district, and I mean all positions: bus drivers, transportation, teachers, counselors, leadership, whatever," Malone said.
WCPO asked Watts and the board for comment on the union's call for a vote of no-confidence, but were told no.
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