Every Providence, R.I. teacher gets a layoff notice

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — The Providence Public School Department sent layoff notices Tuesday to every one of its 1,926 teachers.

The notices warn that the teachers could lose their jobs in June, when the school year ends.

To be sure, not all teachers in Rhode Island’s capital city will be laid off. But the warning was necessary because of the dire fiscal straits that both Providence and its school system are in.

The school district is facing a nearly $40 million shortfall for the coming academic year.

The city’s financial condition is even worse. Providence, which faced a $57 million deficit a year ago, is preparing a budget that will contain major cuts to education, officials said. The city, which has been hit hard by the Great Recession, spends half its budget on schools.

Rhode Island law requires that teachers be notified about potential layoffs by March 1. But because the extent of the funding cuts are still unknown, the school system sent warnings to every teacher to give itself “the maximum flexibility to consider every cost-saving option,” Superintendent Tom Brady wrote in a letter to educators.

Mayor Angel Taveras, a product of Providence public schools who promised to improve them in his inaugural address last month, plans to submit his budget at the beginning of April.

“We know there will be fewer teachers and fewer schools open,” said Melissa Withers, Taveras’ spokeswoman.