By Mark Larus
WCHL News Intern
(Additional Reporting by Tony Terrell)

State budget pressures forced Orange County Schools to cut 21- media and teacher assistants’ jobs.

Greg Hicks, assistant superintendent for human resources and finance, says the school system will see the results of these cuts this year.

Some funding for assistant positions comes from the local budget, but a much larger portion comes from the state budget; these recent job cuts are the result of the state reducing funding for teaching assistants.

Because of these cuts and the elimination of teaching positions in late spring, class sizes will be larger than in the past, Hicks says. If the school system can come up with funding, he says they would be willing to rehire many of the teachers and assistants who have lost their jobs.

Still, Hicks is hopeful that the school system will do their best to maximize the staff that they do have.

80 of the district’s assistant positions remain.