‘We are down to the bone': Camden layoffs faces backlash from students, staff

Residents, staff and students in Camden are pushing back against 100 employees getting laid off as part of restructuring.

During a public hearing and special meeting at the district’s administration building Tuesday, community members voiced strong opposition to the layoffs, which were carried out on April 30.

“We’re not cutting the fat anymore. We are down to the bone of this school district,” a speaker said.

District officials said 100 staff members were notified about potential job losses. Of those, about 21 are instructional staff.

“We’ve notified a 100 staff members of the potential of position loss. But we found out instructional staff, we have about 21 who received the notice. But of that 21 we have other placements for them,” a district official said.

Officials said the changes are intended to eliminate some positions while creating new ones based on the district’s needs. Staff affected by layoffs are encouraged to apply for the newly created roles, which will be posted over the next two months.

Still, some teachers say the process has lacked transparency. Terence Venturi, an English as a second language teacher in the district, said he was not given a reason for his layoff notice.

“Here’s the thing, I don’t know the reasons. I’ve requested this. For them to vote now to can me is a violation of my due process,” Venturi said.

The impact of the cuts is also being felt by students, some of whom say the uncertainty is affecting their ability to focus in school.

“It’s something new every year for students to stress about. We can’t focus because these things are happening to us. At least personally I can’t focus. I have an AP exam tomorrow morning and I’m here speaking about this because I’m so frustrated with our district,” a student said.

District officials said the layoffs will not affect the current school year. The new staffing structure is expected to be in place by July 1.

This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC Philadelphia. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC Philadelphia journalist edited the article for publication.