Youngstown schools recall 21 teachers for start of classes Tuesday

By Harold Gwin

Two-thirds of those laid off in June will be back in the classroom Tuesday.

YOUNGSTOWN — The city school board has recalled 21 teachers it had laid off at the end of June.

The district notified 31 teachers in the spring that they were being laid off in a reduction-in-force move caused by declining student enrollment.

There have since been a number of retirements and resignations, leaving a large number of teaching spots to be filled, said Anthony Catale, school board president.

The board recalled 21 this week and may recall a few more, he said, explaining that the district’s human resources department has indicated it still needs a couple of science teachers at the secondary level. Classes start Tuesday.

The district now has 585 teachers; it had 850 on staff six years ago.

The ranks of teachers, as well as other district employees, have been significantly reduced over the last three years ass Youngstown seeks to recover from its fiscal emergency status. More than 500 jobs have been lost as the district cut sending by more than $30 million.

The district has always been conservative with spring layoffs, said William Bagnola, president of the Youngstown Education Association, the teachers’ union.

It doesn’t want to be caught with excess staff at the beginning of the school term and so lays off more than are necessary, usually calling some of them back as classes begin, he said.

Teachers must be informed by April 30 of each year of layoffs, he said.

Read the full story Monday in The Vindicator and on Vindy.com.