The Pajaro Valley Unified School District has approved resolutions to lay off about 160 full-time-equivalent positions, including teachers, counselors, and support staff, due to a significant decline in enrollment and revenue.Brandon Diniz, Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers President, highlighted the dedication of students who “waited six hours at yesterday’s board meeting to be able to address the board, to fight for their teachers and their instructional aides. And they were turned away by our school board.”District officials attribute the layoffs to a 19% drop in enrollment since the 2018-2019 school year, resulting in a loss of more than 3,400 students and $53 million in revenue. Alejandro Chavez, a district representative, emphasized, “There is nobody here at the school district that’s interested in cutting any positions or hurting any students.”The Pajaro Valley Teachers Federation is not backing down, with union leaders exploring options such as appeals and pushing for a reevaluation of the district’s financial situation. Diniz expressed concerns about the impact on student mental health, stating, “We have had student suicides this year. Students bringing weapons to school. And there is a mental health crisis throughout this state, throughout this nation. And our district is going to fail our students by voting to eliminate every mental health clinician.”District leaders are focused on minimizing the impact on students and staff by working with labor partners and exploring ways to combine part-time positions into full-time roles. Chavez explained, “We can combine some of the part-time positions into full-time positions so that we can make some savings for the school district overall, on the benefits side,” and added, “And how can we do some incentives on the retirement side so that we can increase some vacancies so that we can fill those positions.”Despite the district’s decision to proceed with the vote, the teachers’ union had requested a delay until January. The district argued that an earlier decision allows staff more time to prepare for new employment or retirement, with layoff notices expected to be issued in late March.
The Pajaro Valley Unified School District has approved resolutions to lay off about 160 full-time-equivalent positions, including teachers, counselors, and support staff, due to a significant decline in enrollment and revenue.
Brandon Diniz, Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers President, highlighted the dedication of students who “waited six hours at yesterday’s board meeting to be able to address the board, to fight for their teachers and their instructional aides. And they were turned away by our school board.”
District officials attribute the layoffs to a 19% drop in enrollment since the 2018-2019 school year, resulting in a loss of more than 3,400 students and $53 million in revenue.
Alejandro Chavez, a district representative, emphasized, “There is nobody here at the school district that’s interested in cutting any positions or hurting any students.”
The Pajaro Valley Teachers Federation is not backing down, with union leaders exploring options such as appeals and pushing for a reevaluation of the district’s financial situation.
Diniz expressed concerns about the impact on student mental health, stating, “We have had student suicides this year. Students bringing weapons to school. And there is a mental health crisis throughout this state, throughout this nation. And our district is going to fail our students by voting to eliminate every mental health clinician.”
District leaders are focused on minimizing the impact on students and staff by working with labor partners and exploring ways to combine part-time positions into full-time roles.
Chavez explained, “We can combine some of the part-time positions into full-time positions so that we can make some savings for the school district overall, on the benefits side,” and added, “And how can we do some incentives on the retirement side so that we can increase some vacancies so that we can fill those positions.”
Despite the district’s decision to proceed with the vote, the teachers’ union had requested a delay until January.
The district argued that an earlier decision allows staff more time to prepare for new employment or retirement, with layoff notices expected to be issued in late March.