Dayton Public Schools not likely to lay off educational aides

School board president says district expects to study issue until summer

Dayton Public Schools is not likely to lay off classroom paraprofessionals at its school board meeting Tuesday, school board President Adil Baguirov said at a meeting of parents and community members.

“We will be voting on that and we will probably decide not to reduce in force the paraprofessionals,” Baguirov said at Corinthian Baptist Church on Thursday night. “We will leave more time to study this until next summer. Most likely that’s what we’re going to do.”

Asked after the meeting whether that meant leaving all paraprofessionals in the classroom aide roles they’ve been in this fall, Baguirov said it was too soon to tell. Under the previous plan, 33 of those paraprofessionals were at risk — some to be laid off, some to be reassigned as substitutes, and others were going to move into other jobs or schools.

“Right now, I don’t know. Everything remains to be seen until Tuesday,” said Baguirov, who attended Thursday’s meeting with board members Hazel Rountree and Robert Walker. “I’m just gauging what I’ve heard. Nothing’s final until it’s voted on. I’m not trying to be coy here, but things can change.”

Dayton Public Schools already laid off 19 central office employees on Nov. 8 and had 27 teachers switch classrooms to avoid layoff because of declining enrollment in some schools and grades.

On Nov. 17, the school board was scheduled to vote the fate of at least 42 teachers, classroom paraprofessionals, mental health technicians, plus clerical, building trades and operations employees. Twenty-one of those workers had been scheduled for layoff, 12 were to be reduced to substitute roles, and nine were changing assignments, some to lower-paying jobs.

But after 300 people packed the meeting, the board delayed those decisions until the Tuesday, Dec. 6, meeting, which is scheduled for 5 p.m. at Dayton Public Schools headquarters, 115 S. Ludlow St., downtown.

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