NORTH ANDOVER — The school district eliminated 40 staff positions for the next school year on Friday to address ongoing financial challenges as the fiscal year 2026 budget process advances.
The cuts affected staff from pre-K to Grade 12 in order for the school district to stay within a proposed $68.2 million budget for fiscal year 2026.
The staff was notified about their positions being eliminated for next year around the end of the school day, Superintendent Pamela Lathrop said in an email sent out to the school community and families on Friday detailing the cuts.
The reductions include current staff and people hired on one-year contracts.
Lathrop followed up on Saturday with a statement about the district’s current budget challenges and a planned student walkout on Monday.
The walkout at the high school is planned for 11:45 a.m., when students wearing red in support of the educators will go out to the football field. Parents carrying signs are also expected to show up, according to social media posts.
Lathrop said interim high school principal Deb Holman is working with students to ensure the walkout is respectful and gives the students an opportunity “to engage in civic discourse,” Lathrop said.
“We understand that students want their voices to be heard,” she said. “We respect their desire to advocate and encourage respectful dialogue as part of the learning process during these challenging times.”
At the School Committee meeting on Thursday, Lathrop discussed the 40 job cuts along with other impacts. Athletics will see a $20,000 budget reduction while the Scarlet Knights Academy’s budget will be reduced by $10,000. There will be a reduction in teachers from 12 to 10 per semester at the Scarlet Knights Academy.
On March 31, about 40 more staff members will receive an assignment change, including the Kittredge School teachers.
In April or May, teaching assistants will be informed of any impacts affecting their positions.
The School Committee voted to recommend a $68.2 million budget for the 2025-2026 school year on Feb. 25. She said despite a 9.89% increase from fiscal year 2025’s appropriation, the budget is $3.5 million short to maintain current services and requires substantial reductions because of it.
“This is a difficult and uncertain time for many, and we recognize the anxiety and concern that this situation has created,” Lathrop said in Saturday’s statement. “These decisions are never just about numbers.”
She said it affects the entire school community and the families of those whse positions have been eliminated. The school district has worked with the North Andover Teachers Association to make sure the process follows Collective Bargaining Agreement provisions. Lathrop said the district wanted to give the affected staff enough time to be able to plan for the future.
At this week’s School Committee meeting, Lathrop said district administrators took into account committee and public feedback about special education and social and emotional health positions. They also looked where other changes could be made to preserve those positions.
“We are working to manage these changes as thoughtfully as possible while keeping students’ needs at the center,” she said.