Doing More With Less

Teachers across Baldwin County are doing more than just lesson plans and lectures these days. At Elberta Elementary, educators are now doubling as custodians!

"Whatever I've asked them to do in schedule changes or additional duties they've been more than willing, so we're all just here to make it work," says principal Hope Zeanah. "It's been a difficult beginning of the year, it's been stressful for the staff and faculty, we've lost 19 employees since May including an assistant principal, certified teachers, media aides, P.E. aides."

Computer labs and media rooms once full of students are now dark and empty. And in the cafeteria, three people are now doing what five employees used to do.

"It was really sad yesterday to see them leave," says Catherine Partin, cafeteria manager. "There were a lot of tears, I had some that had been here ten years that are gone."

More than 200 employees were laid off Wednesday to help offset the school district's 57 million dollar budget shortfall.