DALLAS – In the end, Dallas Independent School District said it was able to save 88 additional teachers because of voluntary resignations and by shuffling people around in the district.

Thursday, the district laid off 375 teachers instead of 460, which was the number announced earlier in the week.

At San Jacinto Elementary in Pleasant Grove, reality set in for teachers when dollies wheeled boxes of belongings out of classrooms.

"My kids are going to lose out because I'm a very good teacher, and so they're going to lose out because they won't have me," said a tearful Sandy Keaton.

Ms. Keaton taught her second graders at San Jacinto Elementary for the last time Thursday.

"I kind of warned my children this morning,” she said. “You got to let them know. You can't give them surprises. I said, 'If I go, I'll see you. I love ya'll.'"

Just before the end of the day, she got the handful of papers in a thin blue folder.

They declared she was among the 375 teachers DISD laid off. She was one of eight to lose their job at San Jacinto.

The district, which has an $84-million dollar deficit, warned of the day for weeks after administrators made a massive miscalculation in the budget. More than 1,000 employees have the price due to the deficit.

Alliance AFT, the district’s largest union, said it is concerned about the layoffs of four or five veteran teachers and will consult with the district about why they were let go.

The union said it expects to see more laid-off teachers Friday, helping direct them what to do next.

"With most of the teachers that went home today, they let go of some of the best teachers they had," Keaton said.

Her brother, James Robinson, drove from Plano to help her move out. Two months ago, he was at the school to help paint her classroom.

"Yeah, she'll bounce back fine,” he said. “She always works really hard. She'll go get two or three part time jobs to make ends meet."

Ms. Keaton left an office job to pursue teaching three years ago. She left disappointed at the district for the financial foul-up that cost the educator her job and her students their teacher.

E-mail jwhitely@wfaa.com