Revere Calls Back Teachers

The Revere Board of Education recalled 34 teachers that were previously laid off for the next school year on Tuesday night.

After the board unanimously passed the proposal, the audience - though much smaller than the more than 150 people who attended the where the teachers were first laid off - broke into applause.

The board had previously laid off the teachers in case an operating levy didn’t pass a public vote. by more than 500 voters. It had failed in two previous attempts.

Board president William Hoover addressed the levy issue at the beginning of the meeting. “I want to publicly thank everybody,” he said. “This was a big step for us. It’s important.”

Superintendent Randy Boroff said the district will continue to decrease staff through attrition in a cost-saving measure. When the proposal to bring back the teachers came up on the agenda, he said, “It gives me great personal joy to make this recommendation.”

The board also approved a modified five-year financial forecast for the district. The previous forecast, accepted by the board in April, did not include the new levy funds and showed the reductions in staff. Treasurer David Forrest called the district’s financials “very stable.” But there are income losses ahead depending on state legislative issues, like reduced funding from the budget and a voucher proposal that could cost the district up to $1.3 million, he said.

A proposal to recall and recreate the positions of food service and transportation supervisors was tabled by the board. Board member Claudia Hower said the board hadn’t had enough time to discuss it yet.

Hoover wanted to reinstate the people and positions for next school year as soon as possible. “It’s not fair to those doing the planning and it’s their livelihood on the line,” he said.