SHEFFIELD — Junior Emeline Krauz had been preparing for the Mount Everett spring chorus concert since January, eagerly anticipating her long-awaited solo.

But by the time she stepped on stage Tuesday night, the excitement had been overtaken by sadness, frustration and uncertainty.

Earlier that day, 20 faculty members across the Southern Berkshire Regional School District learned by email that they would not have a job next year as district leaders navigate what they say is a $1 million budget deficit.

Students leave school at the end of the day on Friday at Mount Everett in Sheffield.

This includes the only chorus teacher, bringing confusion about the future of the music and theater programs. Krauz, along with many others, cried through the concert, devastated by the loss of a beloved teacher.

“The circumstances were awful, honestly,” Krauz said. “There were so many tears shed before the performance, during the performance, and after the performance, and it really damaged the integrity of our concert.”

Students leave school at the end of the day on Friday at Mount Everett in Sheffield.

Southern Berkshire Regional School District Superintendent Brian Ricca says goodbye to students as they leave for the long weekend before Memorial Day.

The equivalent of 21.3 full-time positions were cut, according to an email to the community Wednesday night by Superintendent Brian Ricca. Five of those — a licensed administrator, a school nurse, a teacher, and two education support professionals — will come through attrition via retirement, contract expiration or resignation.

The cuts come before either the School Committee or the district’s five towns have voted on a budget, which has remained in flux as officials grapple with a number of financial uncertainties. The proposed cuts were not presented or voted on by the School Committee.

Sophomore Lezly Solis Lopez said that students have spent the week asking teachers if they were cut in an attempt to understand who will return next year and what programs may be impacted.

“These cuts have left a lot of us with confusion, frustration and just an unknowing about what these next couple of weeks and next year will look like,” she said.

The list of the 20 teachers who received the email has not been shared publicly, but students, school officials and parents have so far gathered that, in addition to the chorus teacher, it includes a gym teacher, an art teacher, the high school librarian, two high school English teachers and a science teacher. The Eagle has not identified any administrative positions among those who received layoff notices.

Solis Lopez and Krauz both said teachers have been working extra hard to continue teaching while setting aside their emotions, even as many are devastated and confused by the cuts.

“I don't believe Dr. Ricca understands what makes the heart of Southern Berkshire beat,” teacher Sarah Siket said, referring to longtime staff members and teachers of popular programs being cut via email.

Ricca said updated financial information and the assumptions behind the budget proposal will be discussed publicly at next week’s School Committee meeting as the district works to balance long-term fiscal stability with maintaining educational services.

“I want to be very careful not to overpromise outcomes before that analysis and public discussion occur,” he told The Eagle on Friday. "But I also want our community to know that we are continuing to look for opportunities and that this work is ongoing.”

He said the staffing reductions are not a reflection of the affected employees’ dedication or talent and acknowledged how difficult the past week has been for the community.

Buses line up outside of Mount Everett at the end of the day on Friday.

“I understand that some community members would have made different decisions, and I respect that perspective,” Ricca said. “The work ahead is now focused on ensuring that students continue to receive a strong educational experience while building a budget that the district can responsibly sustain over time. That includes continuing to support students, honoring our obligations, and preserving the aspects of Southern Berkshire that families care about most.”

But for now, Krauz said, the entire school community has felt the impact.

“The amount of tears in the hallways, the amount of just silence, it's really like the soul of the place was just sucked out, because so many of the people that make the school what it is are just being booted out,” she said.

The days that followed brought more shock as students realized how many student-facing positions were affected by the cuts. For Krauz, that includes another teacher who she said has been an “integral” part of her life, encouraging her to continue creative writing and her other passions alongside her school work.

“Being a teenager is difficult, and these people who have been supporting me, helping me through, giving me guidance, they're just being taken away,” she said.

The students aren’t oblivious to the budgetary problems the district is facing, but it’s the way the situation was handled that has led to the outcry.

Students leave school at the end of the day on Friday at Mount Everett in Sheffield.

“I'm not even trying to be dramatic or theatrical with this or try to pull on people's heartstrings when I say it's been absolutely miserable for everybody,” Krauz said. “I feel like this could have been handled in much better ways.”

Students want to know why these teachers, and seemingly programs, were chosen and are curious as to why there weren’t more cuts at the administrative level.

“We've been told that the decision made they were data driven," Solis Lopez said, "and as students, we don't know what that means because we've just seen that they weren't really student-centered decisions.”

Southern Berkshire isn’t the only district making cuts, with Berkshire Hills Regional District cutting the equivalent of seven positions. Districts across the county are dealing with an increase in insurance and nondiscretionary costs.

“It's very unfortunate circumstances for the entire state, but on our level, [the administration] is the only ones being heard, but we are the ones being directly affected by their decisions,” Krauz said. “I respect that there's a lot of things at play that we might not know about, but let us know, let us hear what there is going on.”

Southern Berkshire Regional School District staff wave goodbye to students as the buses leave for the long weekend before Memorial Day on Friday.

Krauz stressed that she is not mad at one person, but rather frustrated because she doesn't feel like students are being heard. She said decisions that will impact their futures are being made without proof that it is for their best interest.

“And they don't seem to realize that this isn't just affecting the teachers,” she said. “We have an emotional attachment to all of these teachers and these departments. We love the choir program, we love the English program, we love our library, and we love our librarian. We love the people and their jobs, and we can't academically thrive without them.”

Solis Lopez, who is also in chorus, said students channeled their love of the program into their performance to show that school is about more than core academics.

“But we gave our audience the best performance we could to demonstrate that our chorus department is important and is giving back something really impactful to us,” she said.

Krauz said it feels like students are being told to “get your diploma and get out of here.”

“And that's not how education is supposed to be," she said. "It's supposed to be that we have the passion for learning, we should explore that.”

The students both said they reached out to The Eagle because they don’t feel like their pleas to save the district's persona are being heard.

“It feels like the people who are listening to us don't have the power, and the people who have the power are not listening to us,” Krauz said.