DALLAS — Due to an unforeseen budget shortfall, the Dallas Independent School District (DISD) had to lay off 630 employees, teachers comprised 375 of those positions and 320 retired or resigned voluntarily.

While it was an emotional time for the laid-off employees, some are charging that the layoffs had a racial undertone to it. Some employees are enraged that certified teachers were let go while uncertified, bilingual teachers brought in from foreign countries were allowed to stay and even protected from the layoffs.

Though DISD has a majority Latino student population, the employees that questioned the decision to protect bilingual teachers from the layoffs allege that students enrolled in the bilingual programs don't advance in English as they should. Thus, they feel the bilingual teachers aren't really teaching in two languages.

Also, former DISD employees were angered to hear a rumor that the Superintendent, Michael Hinojosa, was going to replace teachers and staff with people earning pay on an hourly basis.

"If they don't show up, they don't get paid," this teacher said. "If this goes down, what it amounts to is DISD educating kids with day laborers."

Even with the staff trims, the Texas Educational Association isn't convinced that the district has solved its financial problems and will continue to monitor the situation to see if further oversight is needed.