Cumberland Academy Schools has reduced and reassigned staff while adjusting salaries to make up for a budget shortfall. (Tyler Morning Telegraph File)

A lack of funding led to layoffs at Cumberland Academy in Tyler, the school said in a media statement.

Cumberland Academy laid off a total of 50 teachers, aides, and nursing staff as part of budget cuts aimed at addressing a significant financial deficit, according to Superintendent Charles Pulliam.

The academy has implemented strategic budget adjustments to “manage a $2 million shortfall resulting from the state’s ongoing funding freeze, the end of federal COVID relief funding, inflationary pressures, and rising costs,” Pulliam said in a statement to the Tyler Morning Telegraph.

Pulliam called the budget adjustments “necessary actions.” The approved measures include “reassignments, consolidations, staff reductions, and a modest salary adjustment for all staff members.”

“These steps balance immediate financial needs with our commitment to maintaining high-quality education for our students,” Pulliam said.

The changes include strategic reassignments, consolidations of positions, attrition and staff reductions and realignments.

In total, 50 positions out of just over 300 have been eliminated, which Pulliam said is “right-sizing the school faculty and staff to the number of students we are serving.”

Employees affected by the layoffs are being offered severance packages, are eligible for rehire, and will receive transition assistance during this period, according to Pulliam.

Cumberland Academy is a public, tuition-free charter school. It started as a private elementary school founded by Dr. Jim Cotton and Mrs. Cotton more than 20 years ago but was turned into a charter school in 1998. Later it expanded to include a middle school and then a high school.

In Texas, independent school districts typically receive about 55% of their funding from local property taxes and the remaining 45% from state sources such as the sales tax and proceeds from oil and gas, according to the Texas Public Charter Schools Association. However, by contrast, charter schools receive 100% of their funding from state sources. Unlike ISDs, they have no authority to levy local taxes and receive no local tax funds.

Charter schools do not receive more taxpayer funding than ISDs, the Texas Public Charter Schools Association says. Overall, charters receive $676 less per student than ISDs, according to the Texas Education Agency.

Parents of students at Cumberland Academy have expressed disappointment and frustration with the school. Through social media comments and “rants” on community pages, parents are not happy about what they say was a swift and unexpected decision. 

Jennifer Blake, a parent of three children in the charter school system, spoke to our news partners at CBS19 about the sudden changes at Cumberland.

“My daughter is in the high school. She showed up to a classroom that had a note on the door where her teacher advised that he was released, and no one was there to cover the class,” Blake said. “… It’s just concerning as to how it’s going to affect our children and their educational endeavor here at Cumberland.”

Blake expressed shock of how quickly the decision was made and shared with the staff and parents, citing a lack of “proper notice.”

Additionally, the changes are having an effect on the students.

“Our kids are feeling the effect — watching teachers walk out crying, hugging teachers,” Blake said. “… They didn’t think about the emotional effect that it would have on our children.”

Blake says she’s been an advocate for Cumberland for the last 10 years, but now she’s feeling hurt.

“To see this going on is disheartening, and it also tells me a lot of the things that I’ve heard in the past that I’ve overlooked because I’ve been an advocate, are coming to pass,” Blake said. “I’m just very concerned as a parent that it’s affecting our children and their education and the mere fact that they didn’t have a plan in place. Perhaps they do, but it’s not showing that they have a plan in place when children are showing up to classrooms that are empty or classrooms that are not attended to.”

She said with this change happening in the middle of the school year, students “have to readapt,” which will affect their academics and overall learning and social experiences at school.

Blake added, “Don’t get me wrong — I love the school, and I’ve loved the mission throughout the year, but I sincerely believe that the vision has changed.” 

Pulliam was appointed as superintendent in May. The school said in a previous statement that he has demonstrated leadership in various roles over the years. In a previous role as Chief Development Officer at Life School of Dallas, Pulliam led multiple departments and oversaw the development of a comprehensive learning and performance management system, which earned a $4.6 million implementation grant. His leadership helped increase the organization’s revenue from $35 million to $70 million over six years, the school previously said.