( CNN ) -- A school board in Rhode Island has voted to fire all teachers at a struggling high school , a dramatic move aimed at shoring up education in a poverty-ridden school district . In a 5-2 vote Tuesday night , the board approved the plan by Frances Gallo , superintendent at Central Falls School District , to discharge the teachers , administrators and other personnel at Central Falls High School . The firings , which will be effective at the end of this school year , came after the district said it failed to reach an agreement with the teachers ' union on a plan for the teachers to spend more time with students to improve test scores . A union spokesman called the firings drastic and cited a 21 percent rise in reading scores and a 3 percent increase in math scores in the past two years . The school district said 93 people -- including the principal , three assistant principals and 77 teachers -- were fired . The teachers ' union said the firings affected 74 classroom teachers plus a number of other educators such as guidance counselors and reading specialists . Central Falls High is one of the lowest-performing schools in Rhode Island . It is in a community where median income is $ 22,000 , census figures show . Of the 800 students , 65 percent are Hispanic and for most of them , English is a second language . Half the students are failing every subject , with 55 percent skilled in reading and 7 percent proficient in math , officials said . In a proposal based on federal guidelines , Gallo asked teachers to work a longer school day of seven hours and tutor students weekly for one hour outside school time . She proposed teachers have lunch with students often , meet for 90 minutes every week to discuss education and set aside two weeks during summer break for paid professional development . A spokesman for the union said the teachers had accepted most of the changes , but wanted to work out compensation for the extra hours of work . The superintendent said the two sides could not agree on a pay rate . Under new federal requirements for school reform , low-performing schools have several options . One is called the transformation model , which includes a series of changes that teachers agree to adopt . When the negotiations on those changes failed at Central Falls High , the superintendent switched to another option : the turnaround model , which means firing every teacher at the troubled school . Kathy May , a teacher at Central Falls High , said she 's disheartened . `` I feel like , after 20 years , I can see some progress beginning to be made . And I 'm sad that we 're not going to be around to follow that through , to push that forward . '' Gallo , who said Rhode Island law says notice must be given by March 1 , said the problem is n't solely the fault of teachers and it was n't her preference to make the move . She indicated that some of the teachers might be rehired . `` When we had to move from the transformation model , the next best move was the turnaround model . And that requires us to remove the teachers and rehire , of those who reapply , up to 50 percent , '' she said . `` This is a major move , for a very significant reason , and that being that we could n't hone in on the assurances we needed for the transformation model . '' Asked what would happen if the teachers ' union accepted the original terms , Gallo said it would be very difficult to go back , but ca n't be discounted . `` And if ... as we move forward , if indeed something of that effect comes around , then I still think we have a lot of doors that could be opened . '' At a community rally before the school board meeting on Tuesday , supporters of the teachers slammed the plan . Jane Sessums , president of the Central Falls Teachers Union , said teachers have been unfairly targeted and scapegoated and the union will fight to have them reinstated . `` We want genuine reforms , not quick fixes that do nothing but create a wedge between teachers , our school and our community , '' said Sessums . She added that `` teachers have agreed to numerous solutions and reforms . '' George McLaughlin , a guidance counselor who was fired along with his wife , a chemistry teacher , said the school has been inaccurately cast as a place with low graduation rates . `` We have the most transient population in this state . Nobody comes close to us . So when they say that 50 percent of the people graduate , a very high percentage of our students leave our school . They return . They leave again . They go back to other countries , '' he said , noting that three times as many of the school 's students are accepted to colleges now than they were five years ago . He also knocked the superintendent , saying she `` has been with us for a little more than three years . '' If Gallo were willing to negotiate and listen to former Sen. Lincoln Chafee , who has offered to mediate , `` maybe we could resolve this instead of causing more trauma to us . '' McLaughlin said the negotiations were about job security , not pay , and said the teachers are ready to resume talks .
Board decides to fire all teachers , other educators at Sioux Falls High School . District , unions fail to reach agreement for teachers to spend more time with students . Union president says teachers scapegoated , union will fight to reinstate them . Terminations will go into effect in the next school year .