Staffing Cuts Approved at Marathon Board of Education Meeting Last Night
The Marathon Board of Education held the final meeting of the term last night, June 3. The library was packed as teachers and community members came to voice concerns.
Sarena Eaton · 2026-06-04
The Marathon Board of Education held the final meeting of the term last night, June 3. The library was packed as teachers and community members came to voice concerns.
During the meeting, teacher Sandi Jennison pointed out that these are not the only cuts to the teachers and educational staff in the district. Over the last 5 years, 41 valuable team members have had their positions cut in the Marathon School District. The loss of this many teachers is a devastating blow to the district.
The President and Vice President of the Marathon Teachers Union, Robin Visco and Becky Gillette, also spoke. They talked about the complete lack of communication between the administration and teachers, the lack of respect for the teachers, no vision or clarity on rebuilding after the crisis, and the shift in school culture this crisis and its management have created. They stated that if these issues are not resolved, the union will take a vote of no confidence against the Superintendent. The MTA will be meeting with BOE President and Vice President, Justin Lilley and Charlie Forkey, and the Superintendent sometime next week.
On the docket was the 2025-26 Budgetary Reductions of Personnel memo, finalizing 29 the cuts to staff in the district. The cuts passed with Mr. Forkey the only vote against.
Mr. Forkey also opposed support and stipend staff raises, based on the argument that extra money could have saved a teacher or two. The items passed with the other six members in favor.
The lone highlight of the meeting was a discussion about the future of sports previously slated to be cut. A community committee of parents has been fundraising and advocating for the return of Cross Country, Indoor Track & Field, and Girls & Boys Golf. The committee has raised $1,000 in donations so far. The committee has stated that once they have brought back the sports, they will shift focus to extracurricular clubs like Drama. The board voted to return these sports without an increase to the athletics budget, with Lukas Baker the only opposition vote.
The meeting closed with the Superintendent reading the names of the faculty who had been cut, many of whom were in attendance.
A video of the meeting is available at https://marathon.nntoday.com/video
The next board meeting is the reorganizational meeting on July 8, where new board members, Kristin Kashuba and Jared Lapin, will take office.
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