Senate majority leader's wife given layoff notice

The wife of the Wisconsin Senate majority leader is among school staff receiving preliminary layoff notices.

Lisa Fitzgerald is a counselor in the Hustisford school district and is married to Republican Senator Scott Fitzgerald.

Superintendent Jeremy Biehl says the school board decided Wednesday night to send preliminary layoff slips to all 34 members of the teaching staff, including librarians and counselors. Biehl says the action was taken because of the uncertainty of the state budget bill.

Biehl says the district is following the advice of the Wisconsin Association of School Boards which urged local school officials to decide on staff cuts by Monday, or risk having those layoffs challenged later in court. State law requires school districts to provide staff final layoff notices by March 15 and preliminary notices 15 days before that.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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