Mathews teachers storm board meeting to criticize cuts

VIENNA

Mathews school district teachers turned out en masse at Wednesday’s board of education meeting in hopes of preventing four proposed teacher layoffs.

There was no indication that their comments, which lasted more than 45 minutes, changed the mind of Superintendent Lee Seiple, who has drafted the plan at the board’s urging.

Nearly 55 of the district’s 65 teachers swamped the meeting room, causing the board to move the meeting to the high school cafeteria across the street.

“We’re passionate about this because we know the students who are affected,” said Sandra Webber, president of Mathews Education Association, the teachers union. “You are looking at numbers, and we are showing you what the students will lose.”

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