TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Keelung Councilor Wayne Tung (童子瑋) said Sunday that a foreign teacher complained the city cut fixed school posts and shifted remaining staff into roaming roles across multiple campuses.

CNA reported Sunday that several foreign teachers were recently told their contracts would end after being labeled “redundant,” while those who stayed were asked to divide their time among different schools. Tung said teachers described the change as turning stable positions into constant travel, leaving less time to work with students.

One teacher wrote to Tung and questioned how they could build trust and sustain learning progress if they had to move from school to school, according to Liberty Times. The teacher also asked how Keelung could meet the national 2030 bilingual policy with only 16 foreign teacher positions left.

Tung said the city government should clearly explain funding sources and long-term impacts when rolling out major policies, per Commercial Times. He cited the free school lunch program and said officials should spell out where the money comes from and which education resources were reduced.

Keelung’s Education Department said the city freed up funds last year after cutting debt, which helped pay for school lunches, per UDN. It said foreign teacher funding came under pressure after the central government reduced subsidies following changes to the fiscal revenue law.

The department said it has planned a new program that combines fixed and roaming foreign teacher posts to spread English learning opportunities more evenly. It added the city will discuss details with schools and aims to restore foreign teacher funding in future budgets.