Layoffs Make School Staff Morale Low

Teacher morale in the Cambridge city schools is low because of uncertainty over proposed teacher layoffs, according to a study conducted by the School Climate Project, a federally-funded project designed to determine teacher attitudes and morale.

The president of the Cambridge Teachers Association (CTA). Roland F. Lachance, said yesterday that he agreed teacher morale is "pretty poor," the attitude now is one of "who cares." he added.

Once the list of who is to be laid off is released, there will probably be an increase in teacher absences and "an over-all decline in the quality of education in the city." LaChance predicted.

Elsa Wasserman, who helped conduct the study, said yesterday that the project recommended improved communication between teachers and the school administration, adding that teachers want to know the "processes" involved in lay-offs.

Administration officials had a series of workshops with teachers and found that they were concerned about who, when, how and why teachers would be laid off. Albert H. Giroux, the school system's public director said yesterday.