Dive Summary:
- On Sunday, Education Secretary Arne Duncan appeared on CBS's "Face the Nation" (see video below) and said, "There are literally teachers now who are getting pink slips, who are getting notices that they can’t come back this fall."
- On Wednesday, at a White House press briefing, Duncan was asked for specifics and mentioned the Kanawha County school district in West Virginia was cutting Title I and Head Start teachers; however, Duncan acknowledged he did not know whether or not the sequester caused the layoffs.
- In response, Pam Padon, director of federal programs and Title 1 for the Kanawha County public schools said the 104 transfer notices would result in the loss of "five or six jobs" that "would already be gone regardless of sequestration."
From the article:
"... Officials in Kanawha County, West Virginia say that the 'transfer notices' sent to at least 104 educators had more to do with a separate matter that involves a change in the way West Virginia allocates federal dollars designated for poor children. ..."
