School officials say that 124 people in the Mount Vernon School District will be out of a job come the end of June.

Acting Superintendent Dr. K. Veronica Smith released a statement:

"It is with great sorry that I share that the Mount Vernon City School District will be laying off 84 staff members that includes teachers, teaching assistants and administrators, and 40 civil service employees at the end of the 2024-2025 school year."

Dr. Smith says the certified employees were notified of the layoffs at the end of March, and the civil service employees received notice by April 22.

The school district has been struggling financially for years, and this year administrators began working on a restructuring plan.

Three schools will close at the end of this year, The Cecil H. Parker Elementary School, The Leadership Academy, and The Mount Vernon Honor Academy.

School officials say the district's fiscal problems coupled with declining enrollment and costs for needed repairs at some of these schools are why they had no other choice but to close the three schools that have resulted in the layoffs.

Administrators say by making these difficult decisions, they've been able to reduce expected expenses for the upcoming school year by $16.9 million.

Administrators say parents at the three closing schools will be notified about their children’s new schools by the second week of June, and job search support is being given to those employees who have been laid off.