Superintendent Dr. Peter Gorman

Mecklenburg County is reducing its payments to the school district by $5 million, forcing CMS to make immediate cuts to its workforce. And that doesn't include the 1,200 job cuts CMS estimates for next year.

CMS officials say the reductions will force them to lay off some district office staff and postpone new purchases like buses.

"We've spent a lot of money already," Superintendent Peter Gorman said. "There's things we might have cut that we can't cut."

Gorman said teachers don't have to worry about losing their jobs right now, but he did say carving $5 million out of the budget is equal to the cost of about 100 teachers. Even though this round of cuts will not affect the classroom, next year's budget reductions could leave hundreds of CMS teachers without jobs.

A teacher who preferred to remain anonymous said her peers are anxious and worry CMS isn't doing enough to keep cuts from directly impacting students.

"A lot of us feel there's an excessive amount of money being spent on the learning communities and it's hard to understand how they impact the kids learning or the school's function," the teacher said.

Gorman said CMS will make cuts in the learning communities, although he didn't give specific details.

Teachers say anxiety in the classroom is building amidst talk of more cuts and more layoffs.

"They're scared because there's nowhere else to go," the teacher said. "No other districts are hiring either."