Lots of local teachers get pink slips

BRISTOL, R.I. (WPRI) - At least three Rhode Island school districts handed out pink slips to more than one hundred teachers this week.

101 Bristol-Warren teachers received layoff notices, as well as 105 teachers in East Providence, and a whopping 211 teachers in Lincoln.

But not all those teachers will lose their jobs.

Rhode Island law requires districts to notify any teacher who could lose his or her job by March 1st.  And because of uncertainty over local aid in the state budget, administrators are planning for the worst.

"That does impact the morale within the district I think," says Bristol-Warren Superintendent Melinda Thies. "However, this has been past practice in Bristol-Warren.  It's in an abundance of caution we're forced to do this."

And Lincoln's superintendent, Georgia Fotunato, tells us that the final number of layoffs will be nowhere near the 211 who received pink slips.

Rhode Island school districts are still waiting for the General Assembly to address Governor Don Carcieri's proposed cuts in aid to cities in towns for this year's budget, and next year's.