Tupper Lake school contemplating 30 job cuts next year

The Adirondack Daily Enterprise is reporting that Tupper Lake’s school district could lay off as many as thirty people next year.

The announcement comes as North Country school districts face shrinking state aid from Albany.

Tupper Lake superintendent Seth McGowan told the newspaper that if things don’t improve, “there will be some layoffs happening for sure.”

One school board official told the Enterprise that the economic impact on Tupper Lake could be “devastating.”

School board President Mike Dechene said there is a possibility that as many as 30 school employees would have to be let go. The district currently employs about 190 people, with about 120 of those considered instructional staff.

Dechene said he is concerned about the effects of such a potentially high number of layoffs on Tupper Lake.

“I think it’s devastating,” Dechene said. “I think it’s something that’s not only going to devastate our education in our district, but it’s going to devastate our community. … It’s one of the worst things that I’ve ever encountered on the school board.”

Governor David Paterson says the state’s budget deficit could top 8 billion dollars next year.