They figured it was coming sooner or later, but not like this and not this soon.

Taylor County School District employees say they found out their salaries would be slashed less than 24 hours before it happened.

Fourth Grade Taylor County Elementary School Teacher Barbara Bratcher says the school superintendent sent out an e-mail to district employees on Thursday saying there will be a five percent pay cut--starting Friday

Bratcher is also the president of the union representing Taylor County teachers.

She said, "That kind of disturbed us and actually hurt our feelings I believe as well as making us mad that you would do that while we were in negotiations."

The instructional and non-instructional unions didn't agree with the pay cuts during negotiations with the school board,so Bratcher says they've been at a impasse since February.

Pay cuts were on the table because of the district's $770,000budget deficit.

Taylor County resident Bill Daniels said, "I think it might be a step in the right direction because I don't know of any other way that you could bring a higher income in."
Eyewitness News obtained a copy of the e-mail.

In it, Superintendent Paul Dyal explains that the board imposed a five percent cut "due to the financial emergency and the time constraints related to the number of remaining pay checks."

Taylor County mother Deanna Browning said, "I definitely think that it'll run good teachers away and they'll go to better jobs and it'll hurt the kids."

Five percent cuts were already made for all board members, the superintendent, administrators, and some grant- funded positions.

Bratcher says the unions will take legal action against the school board since neither union agreed to the cut.

Superintendent Dyal did not return our phone calls for comment.

However, his e-mail also said, "We remain in good faith negotiations with both bargaining units and have a hearing with the Board scheduled for 3/19/09 for the Non-instructional unit and a hearing with the Special Magistrate on 4/15/09 for TEA."