Minneapolis school district lays off 160

Minneapolis Public Schools on Monday announced it's laying off about 160 workers.

The layoffs, which take effect on June 30, include a mix of school employees from all departments — part time and full time — and amount to the equivalent of about 120 full-time jobs. Six hundred people currently work at the district's headquarters in north Minneapolis.

"When you reduce this many people it's a difficult decision," Interim Superintendent Michael Goar said.

The move will save the district $11.6 million. District officials say those savings will go to schools, allowing them to lower class sizes, reduce caseloads for special education teachers and increase learning time at middle and high schools.

The district will encourage those being laid off to apply for positions at schools. Goar expects the district to hire 350 new teachers by fall.

The layoffs don't come as a surprise. Goar warned he was planning to "right size" the district's central office when he took the position after Bernadeia Johnson's resignation in February.

Some jobs will disappear as departments with similar functions are combined.

The transportation call center and the emergency management division will merge. Planning and accountability will fold into the research and development office, and certain administrative work done at district headquarters will move to schools.

The Minneapolis teachers union did not respond to an interview request for this story.