School Board Cuts Teachers, Adult Education

A dismal economic outlook means the Pajaro Valley Unified School District will tell hundreds of employees they may not have jobs next year.

The board of trustees approved staffing reductions Wednesday evening that will eliminate more than 25 elementary teachers, reduce funding Adult Education staff by 500 hours and cut the equivalent of 51 full-time classified positions.

The cuts amount to $3.5 million in reductions.

Questionable state funding—including the possibility that a statewide tax could be extended by voters in June that a significant amount of education money hinges on—led the school district to make the cuts.

State law requires certificated employees—namely, teachers—be given notice by March 15 that they may lose their jobs. Classified employees are guaranteed a 45-day notice.

“This is the worse-case scenario in terms of names and numbers," Pajaro Valley Unified School District Superintendent Dorma Baker said of the cuts, which were listed by position, not name, on four pages of blue paper printed just before the meeting began.

Assistant Superintendent Albert Roman explained that giving notice is "a critical legal step" that, if it's not made, could cost the district millions of dollars it doesn't have.

“If they’re not [noticed], we owe those teachers jobs … and that’s money that the district doesn’t have" Roman said.

None of the cuts are set in stone. The affected staff members will be informed of their possible layoff in early March. Final notices will be sent out May 15, but those can be rescinded until June 30, should other funding sources become available.

“Bringing back positions is a very easy process,” Roman said.

However, there is little optimism that the district's budget picture will improve.

Declining state tax revenues from the recession coupled with the increasing costs of employee benefits has crippled the school district's financial situation. About 90 percent of district money goes to employee pay and benefits, meaning there are few places to make cuts that don't affect people.

Brett McFadden, the school district's chief business officer, has described the financial outlook as "horrible or catastrophic," depending on the outcome of the June vote.

A couple dozen people, many of them school district employees potentially affected by the cuts, looked downcast as they watched the board vote 5-2 in favor of the teacher reductions and 6-1 for the classified staff cuts. The board also approved reassigning administrators to classrooms.

A few encouraged the board to make other choices.

Rocio Lopez, an analyst in the human resources department, said they will lose 2.75 positions this time, on top of three positions lost in years’ past.

She asked the board to “reconsider or look at the options rather than reduce the human resources classified staff.”

Board chairman Willie Yahiro noted that "none of us want to do this stuff.”

The first layoff notices should go out next week. More than 200 employees will receive them.