US teachers receive layoff notices

Thousands of US public school teachers have received layoff notices in Michigan’s Detroit district, Detroit public school administrators say.

According to the administrators, the move is part of the district administration’s plans to scale down its workforce amid a drop in student enrollment and a mounting budget deficit.

Detroit public school administrators say over 5,700 members of the teachers union have been served notices.

The layoffs will come into effect by July 29. The move comes a month before the district is to revise union contracts using the state’s new emergency manager law.

The layoff notices are required under the collective bargaining agreement.

Student enrollment in Detroit, one of the major industial and popolous cities in the US, has dropped significantly over the past few years, according to local officials.

The district also faces a $327-million budget deficit.