VERMILION PARISH, La. (KLFY) – The Vermilion Association of Educators President, Suzanne Breaux was at last week’s meeting when the superintendent made the budget shortfall announcement.

Breaux recalls hearing the projected budget shortfall at $3.2 million for the parish next school year.

Breaux admits it’s disappointing when the proposed solution is to cut back on hiring teachers.

“We understand the shortfall. We want to make it work. We want to work with the school board and superintendent. We don’t want to drain our account,” says Breaux.

Breaux explains the superintendent talked about not filling about 16 teacher slots to save over $900,000. She notes the proposed positions to go unfilled will mainly be in the middle and high schools where she says they’re over staffed.

“We are also under the understanding that the student teacher ratio that was agreed upon in our contract; it falls within our negotiated contract.”

Breaux adds she heard the oil and gas industry slump is not helping when it comes to generating sales tax revenue and with that money stream running dry other options have to be considered. “We don’t want obviously the teacher

“We don’t want obviously the teacher positions cut, but other than just cutting positions. There’s nothing really anything that I heard in terms of solutions to the problem,” adds Breaux.

Breaux says there’s a Vermilion Parish School Board special meeting scheduled for Wednesday, April 27 at 6:00.