A serious debt issue has put the county on a high financial alert and they Hillsborough county has begun monitoring spending intently by establishing a strict budget.

The county is operating on a $100 million dollar deficit.

Now, over 260 specialist jobs are being eliminated.There are over 225 teaching positions that need to be  filled. Since the county announced its hiring freeze, they will transfer existing faculty rather than hire new teachers.

‘Looking at the funding and the many different accounts that Hillsborough county has, [Jeff Eikens] had to make some very tough calls. It’s come in different phases. His goal would be not to directly touch the classrooms,” Principal Robert Nelson said.

The idea is to take all of these specialists, which include guidance coun-selors, reading specialists, success coaches and administration and putting them in a pool, then transferring them into classroom positions throughout the county that they may qualify for.

“It [the transitioning of teachers] is really going to hurt the students who need it. It’s their job,” junior Megan Tice said.

One of the school’s specialist have had their position removed Susan Wallace, Success coach. Wallace supervises Unity Day as well as helping students stay on the path of success through out high school and continue after high school.

In Wallace’s 15 years at the school, she has unceasingly embraced the diversity and created a welcoming community along with sponsoring the Student Advisory Committee (SAC).

‘I am not happy about leaving Plant, but I certainly understand it’s not personal. I think I ended up in a good place,” Wallace said.

Hillsborough is a title one school – schools with high numbers or high percentages of students that come from low-income families. Hillsborough will be able to keep their specialist positions.

After searching for a few weeks, Wallace has taken a new job at Hillsborough High School. She will be working with exceptional education students on jobs and social skills and will teach English I the second part of the day.

“Mrs. Wallace has done a great job. She has established relation-ships with many of our kids. So, could I fully replace Mrs. Wallace? I just could not,” Nelson said.

Reading coach positions have been eliminated in some schools across the district, which may affect Amy Farino, though she has not yet been told if she will have to leave.

[Mrs. Farino] helped me in so many ways. I’m such a better reader than before,”junior Emily Bosco said.

“A lot of students who knew her [Wallace] as a success coach are dev-astated at what’s happening and are do-ing their best efforts to make some sort of change,” senior Hannah Diasti said. “ She’s had a huge impact on SAC and has brought a lively hood and sense of community to SAC as a whole,” Diasti is President of the Student Advisory Committee.

The county hired Gibson Consulting Group for $810,000 in hopes of solving the deficit crisis. Of the $130 million that is to be saved through budget cuts, the teacher transfer should account of $50 million, according to Union leader Stephanie Baxter-Jenkins.