The Ann Arbor Public Schools board, amidst a swirl of controversy, voted narrowly to authorize teacher layoffs in a 4-3 decision due to a whopping $25 million budget deficit, a part of which results from a $14 million accounting blunder still under scrutiny.

As district officials scramble to rectify this mishap by the end of the school year to avert a state takeover, educators are loudly pushing back. Thursday night saw educators picketing with chants and signage outside the administration building before bringing their spirited protest to the confines of the school board meeting, where over 140 had put forth their names quite literally to voice opposition, WXYZ reported.

The district's budget crisis, laid bare in March, stems from multiple compounding issues. Interim Superintendent Jazz Parks pointed out that the district had boosted staff by an additional 480 people over a decade, amidst a decline of 1,123 students in the last four years, which alongside salary hikes, swiftly eroded the financial bedrock of the schools. FOX 2 Detroit documented Parks' statement posted to the district's website last month detailing the critical situation.

Educators are adamant, refusing to be made scapegoats for the financial chaos. "Fourteen million dollar clerical error is unconscionable to me," said Tamala Bell, Vice President of the Ann Arbor Education Association, per WXYZ. She continued to passionately argue that teachers “are here in the trenches each every day, giving our absolute best and we deserve to be treated with respect.”

Despite the silent woes of numeric columns and the catastrophic clerical missteps, emotions ran high as the academic community rallied for their livelihoods and the integrity of education. With public meetings slated for the following week, the board's decision—to still be revealingly implemented—was not the last chapter of this district's tale. As one teacher remarked at the board meeting, WHMI reported, "For each teacher you cut, it's our children who bleed."