photo Ally Dolores

On Wednesday, June 11, Principal Glatz gathered Pace High School staff and announced a $400,000 budget cut for the upcoming school year. He said that as a result of this deficit, three to four teachers would be excessed.

The final list of excessed staff is still emerging, however two of Pace’s valued educators, have spoken with the Pacer and expressed their feeling about being excessed.

One faculty member, who wishes to remain anonymous, said that they “would like to think that the school exhausted all opportunities in trying to keep this from happening. But unfortunately, I can’t confidently say so.”

10th grade advisor and AP English teacher, Ms. Watkins, was another teacher who was chosen to be excessed.

Ms. Watkins expressed her concern for her students next year. “I was really looking forward to teaching the group of freshmen I was going to have next year,” she said. “My classroom is a safe space for all of them, and I want them to utilize it.”

While the three excessed staff members are not officially laid off and remain on the Department of Education payroll, they will be removed from Pace faculty and relocated to a different school in the district if they haven’t found a new school, a process that is difficult and unpredictable.

The news has sparked concern among teachers, many of whom are still struggling to grapple with the excessing’s effect on the future of the school.

Excessing is the process in which staff in a school is reduced due to budget cuts, decreased student enrollment, or school closure. Excessed staff are chosen based on seniority and licensure needs in certain departments. Though excessing staff is a relatively common practice in larger schools across New York City, this marks only the second time it has occurred at Pace.

The decision on who is excessed is based on “student need,” according to Principal Glatz. These vary from the several education departments: English, math, science, history, arts, foreign language and counseling.

One staff member, who preferred to speak anonymously, said they believe that students need classes in every department. It would be unfair to rid them of that opportunity.

The teacher said, “It’s important to also consider [teachers’] contributions to the school culture, their relationships with students, which in my opinion is established through a long time working at a school or doing clubs. There was no transparency in the process.”

Mr. Jallot, the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) chapter representative at Pace, clarified the union’s role in the process. “The UFT had nothing to do with it. That has to do with the budget,” he said. “The only efforts to change that would be to change what’s called the Fair Student Funding Formula, which is how schools get funded. Schools that are under-enrolled receive less money, which forces cuts in staff.”

Mr. Jallot expressed deep frustration with the systematic funding structure that led to situations like this one. “Public schools are not fairly funded,” Mr. Jallot said. “I really just blame the system as it is. I think the expansion of charter schools also plays a role in this.

The budget shortfall stems from the Department of Education’s funding formula, which allocates money to schools based on student enrollment. For the upcoming school year, Pace’s estimated enrollment has dropped to under 500 students, resulting in the $400,000 deficit next year.

“As charter schools continue to expand,” Mr. Jallot said, “we lose more public school students. Not to reduce a student down to a dollar sign, but the reality is that’s what it is. The less students public schools have, then the less money that we get.”

A teacher who knows the identity of the three excessed faculty members noted that they are all teachers of color. The source said that they feel it is, “highly insensitive and disrespectful toward students to deprive them of a diverse teaching staff.”

As of publication, Principal Glatz did not respond to the Pacer’s request for a statement about this situation.

To prevent future cuts, one staff member emphasized that collective action may be the way to go. “I actually think that that is the only thing that would really make a difference. Students and parents and teachers coming together to fight the excessing is really the only thing that has any hope of working.”

If students desire to help prevent and further prepare for situations like this, they are encouraged to attend the monthly School Leadership Team meetings.

The excessing announcement has deeply unsettled the Pace community, disrupting the sense of stability and trust that students and staff rely on. As it is uncertain, many are left grappling with the emotional and cultural impact of losing familiar faces and valued mentors.

“I thought Pace was going to be my home for the next little while. I’ve built up all these relationships. I just want to know at the end of the day that my kids will be okay,” said Ms. Watkins.