Research has shown that "last hired, first fired" policies maximize the number of teachers subject to reductions in force by eliminating those teachers that are lowest on the pay scale first. Until now, advocates of effectiveness-based reduction-in-force (RIF) policies could only point to simulated policy exercises as evidence of the potential benefits of a discretionary reduction-in-force policy. This study suggests that, while reductions in force negatively affect student achievement, districts have the potential to reduce these negative effects by concentrating layoffs among the lowest-performing teachers. The analyses of this study focuses on three main objectives: (1) comparing the relative weight that North Carolina's Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' (CMS) administrators and principals placed on a variety of RIF criteria when implementing layoffs; (2) estimating the causal effect of discretionary layoffs in CMS on student achievement in the following academic year; and (3) documenting how these negative effects are exacerbated when highly effective teachers are laid-off teachers. Results from descriptive regression analyses suggest that CMS used multiple RIF criteria when selecting teachers for layoffs including tenure status, licensure status and type, and job performance. Although replacing seniority with performance measures can minimize effects on student achievement, exchanging one inflexible criterion for another will not provide districts with any discretion in navigating a complex process aimed at preventing a variety of negative consequences. Tables are appended.