‘Displacements’ begin as budget cuts claim human price for area instructor
Like many Wisconsin districts suffering under a lack of adequate state funding and declining enrollments, the Oshkosh Area School District faced a $5.5 million deficit in their annual budget. While many districts responded with operational referendums, the OASD was unable to put such a measure on the ballot as it has already leveraged referendum monies. As such, the district created a plan that would eliminate or merge a variety of positions ranging from Central Office to support staff to teachers from all K-12 schools. What was once a nebulous line item on a budget now bears a human face as teachers at West have been notified their positions will be eliminated and they must seek employment elsewhere.
‘Displacement’ does not necessarily mean severance, according to Principal Becky Montour.
photo from Rick Webster
“If a teacher is being displaced, that means we don’t have a job for them next year, unfortunately,” she said. “But, the reason they use the term ‘displaced’ is because that means that there may be openings anywhere else in the district.”
Budget cuts of significance must be fed by human subtractions, according to Spanish teacher Rick Webster.
“A lot of districts are facing budget cuts for the next year, trickling down from the money that the federal government gave to the states,” he said. “80% of our operating budget is teachers.”
Declining birthrates are another factor in the loss of current jobs, as the amount of students per grade keeps lowering. Superintendent Bryan Davis noted the impact.
“I think we were down 170 students this year and we have to project that to next year. So, our graduating classes are over 700 and I think the kindergarten classes coming in are around about 530,” he said. “We just have this demographic shift that’s happening; there’s just not as many kids.”
Because of a decrease in both student enrollment and teacher positions, class sizes will be affected next year, according to Montour.
“All courses with less than 20 [students] are not running next year. The other thing that everyone is going to see is that our class sizes are going to be bigger than they were this year,” she said. “Closer to like 25 to 27 versus probably closer to 20 to 22 this year.”
After communication with teachers being affected, the district’s goal with displacement is to find other jobs for them. Davis believes that this process isn’t always linear, but feels everything is being handled as best as it can.
“The goal is always to be able to find a licensure, to be able to have the teachers we have this year to land somewhere for next year. Sometimes that happens; sometimes it doesn’t,” he said. “But we do everything we can to be able to make sure that people can land well and keep our great teachers here in Oshkosh.”
From a teacher perspective, displacement can be uncertain, and communication is essential. Library Media Specialist Maggie Miller described the process as a bit uncertain as well.
“If they tell you that you’re being displaced, you still have a job within the district; you just don’t know where it’s going to be yet,” she said. “We found out our jobs were cut when the board approved it in January. So, at the beginning of March, administrators talked through different course offerings and how many students are going to be in classes.”
Displacement has been affecting the overall environment for teachers. Webster believes the stress is inevitable.
“It definitely has a negative impact on morale, and not just for the teachers who are directly affected. It was hanging over everybody’s heads for three months, and that causes angst,” he said. “There’s a relief. There’s also a survivor’s guilt.”
Newer teachers tend to face the greatest chances of displacement. Montour explained that those who have taught for longer may not face the same challenges.
“Everyone on the displacement list was called individually, I think they went in order of years in the years of teaching here,” she said. “The veteran teachers were first and they were called to be offered positions that are open and [asked if] they want any of them.”
Webster shared insight on how displacement affects newer teachers, who are only beginning their careers. They may feel excess stress early on.
“Young teachers that have a lot of passion for what they’re doing, are bringing in new teaching techniques that they’ve just learned in college,” he said. “When we lose [them] that’s a definite downside.”
Family and Consumer Science teacher Ashley Daane’s experience brings up how displacement could delay teaching opportunities for teachers who are pursuing higher education.
“Next fall is the final semester of my master’s degree, and I have to do on the job observations by my professor to officially get my license,” she said. “And now, I don’t have a job to do, on the job, to finish my license for next year.”
With some elective courses at risk, students may find that opportunities seem to be shrinking. Daane shared that these classes provide skills otherwise hard to find.
“I mainly teach financial literacy, career exploration, and life skills. I teach things that kids are going to use everyday in their lives,” she said. “It’s really important to have. Eliminating those positions and expecting other teachers to travel to fill up those spaces; they’re going to be overworked.”
Daane also believes that putting stress on teachers creates an environment that could be worse for the whole classroom.
“You still get the same lessons, but it’s not going to be as in-depth. You’re not going to get to know the students as well,” she said.
While some elective courses are free in high school, they are often costly at college levels. Access to them now prevents obstacles in the future. Davis believes that they may continue to run, but there could be limitations going forward.
“We might have to look at offering a class every other year rather than every year. Again, a lot of it depends on enrollment and interest year to year for students,” he said. “We want to make sure that we’re not putting ourselves in a position where we have to cut entire programs.”
Beyond the convenience of these courses being free, they’re a way to simply have fun during school. Webster emphasizes that they’re what make school enjoyable and give a sense of choice to students.
“They’re the classes they want to take. The core is the core. You have to take math, English, social studies, and science,” he said. “But art, music, and even electives within the core are more tailored to enjoying the material.”
These courses are also helpful for career exploration. Davis explains that electives give students a chance to get a feel for career choices.
“They’re critically important because it’s an opportunity for kids to apply knowledge, and in some cases, find a passion in a particular area,” he said. “[You can] explore what you want to do, whether it be business or music, or other areas. Sometimes it’s good to find out what you don’t want to do, but to do that in a high school space is really important.”
Miller also appreciates the career-readiness that electives encourage, along with numerous other opportunities.
“As a parent myself, with two kids, I find it’s giving them a variety of things to test out and see what they like and don’t like, or what they want to pursue moving forward as a potential career,” she said.
Students are affected by teacher displacement mainly through changes in course offerings, but Webster believes they have a way to make an impact themselves.
“Young people are dealing with a lot of different things, and being aware of local politics is not one of those things, but it impacts them,” he said. “If they’re aware of those things, they can share their feelings and beliefs about things with their parents, then their parents vote.”
English Department Chair Trent Scott feels the price will be paid by students in the classroom.
“A lot of lip service in times like this is given to preserving student programs,” he said. “That strikes me as oxymoronic when class sizes increase or advisers are expected to do more with less. Cutting staffing points for instructing students in journalism through Index and Notebook or the drama program will have detrimental effects on student opportunities. The programs will carry on, but we are less than we could be. That saddens me, and it makes it challenging to trust in a vision for the future.”
Daane concluded that teacher displacement affects students on a closer level, by breaking connections with long-term teachers, when they might have otherwise benefited from continued support of familiar staff.
“We’re very sad that we’re being displaced and not going to get to see you guys anymore. I want students to know that we’re not choosing to leave. We have to.”
Scott concurs.
“When parents, students, and taxpayers read of proposed cuts and reconciliation, it probably sounded fairly mundane, even antiseptic,” he said. “Now that those cuts are human beings, and we feel the loss in leadership, training, experience, and family, folks can see this as the business it is, unfortunately.”
by Samreen Chahal
Published April 27, 2026
Oshkosh West Index Volume 122 Issue VII