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All of the teachers are in their first or second year with the Edwardsville School District. In addition to the layoffs, the district may not replace at least seven teachers who are retiring and could shift other staff members into different roles, said Superintendent Patrick Shelton.

"(The school district) is financially healthy today, and we need to ensure that we continue to maintain that financial health," Shelton said at the board meeting Monday.

The vote to approve the layoffs was 4-3, with Jill Bertels, Jennifer Brumback, Bob Paty and Kristen Pfund in support and Scott Ahart, Terri Dalla Riva and Lynne Sanderson opposed. Ahart and Dalla Riva are among nine candidates for four seats on the school board in the April 1 election.

"It's never easy to make these decisions ... but we should exhaust every other thing first before we look at the first person to tell them that they won't be able to provide for their family," Ahart said before the vote.

The agriculture teacher at Edwardsville High School said she was one of the teachers being laid off and that she worried the program would be cut.

"I love my job. I've never said that in my entire life. I'm 42 years old," Gina Kassing told the board. "I want to do more with these kids ... I love teaching them."

Edwardsville has 7,187 students this year, down about 350 since 2018. Superintendent Shelton said the layoffs would not lead to an increase in class sizes and that no programs including agriculture would be eliminated.

Layoffs are historically rare in public schools, which run on tax revenue linked to student attendance. But near-universal declines in enrollment and the end of federal pandemic aid have led to thousands of jobs lost this year, according to researchers at the Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University.

Kairos Academies charter school in St. Louis laid off seven staff members last month after enrollment numbers failed to meet the target.

Tight budgets have school leaders mulling building closures in Riverview Gardens and St. Louis Public Schools. Two charter schools in St. Louis will be shuttered in May.

The Trump administration’s plan to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education has added to the instability of school district finances. While it’s unclear if the moves will affect funding, federal dollars make up 14% of district budgets on average.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with the result of the school board's vote.