Practically all SCUSD staff at the district offices are getting pink slips, after school board approved more positions for possible elimination Thursday.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Hundreds of pink slips are going out to employees of the Sacramento City Unified School District, as school board members juggle ways to solve a projected deficit next school year of some $200 million.
Last month, as ABC10 reported, the SCUSD Board of Education voted to close more than 400 positions for the coming school year, about a quarter of which are currently vacant. At Thursday’s board meeting, they approved some 400 more for closure, bringing the total number of positions that could be eliminated to about 800.
That does not mean all of those will result in layoffs, but it does mean—hundreds of employees are worried.
“We are really out of time, in terms of options to have a better plan,” board member Taylor Kayatta said at Thursday’s meeting.
That’s when members received the latest update on the current year’s budget—and projections for next year.
Earlier in 2026, the district was facing insolvency and a possible state takeover. District leaders say they’ve managed to avoid that—and anticipate ending the fiscal year in June with $13 million cash on hand.
“I do see some light though, so let me say that,” said board member Michael Benjamin.
Next school year, however, is a different story, with an anticipated budget deficit in the ballpark of $200 million.
“It’s really heartbreaking to say we’ve got to consider restructuring, which means a lot more people need layoff notices so that we have flexibility,” said board president Tara Jeane.
The approximately 400 positions board members approved for closure Thursday include practically everybody at the district office – the Serna Center – kicking off a restructuring plan there.
“It’s really scary for me to say we’re going to pink slip every single person in the Serna Center, although I understand what we are striving to work towards,” board member April Ybarra said. “I’m still not sure what recommendations to put forth right now though.”
By law, the district has until March 15 every year to issue employees a preliminary notice that they could be laid off. Then they have two months – until May 15 – to make decisions and issue final layoff notices.
Until then, the board and district staff will explore options to avoid as many layoffs as possible, including furloughs and temporary pay cuts.
Employees at the board meeting weighed in.
“I know personally, I would rather take a pay cut or take furlough days than to lose my job,” said district librarian Tascha Weatherall. “And I would bet that the majority of the people in this room would say the same thing.”
As she said that, many people in the room started applauding.
While the final decisions aren’t yet made, district leaders emphasize that even the best case scenario will still be painful, to avoid insolvency next year and “get this district to a point where we can actually restructure and reassess our needs,” said board member Jasjit Singh, “so that we can actually build a district that runs beyond just a multi-year projection every three years so we keep having these conversations.”
Jobs up for elimination run the gamut from teachers and health aides to security officers and food service employees.
Garrett Kirkland, president of United Professional Educators (UPE) AFSA Local 154 AFL-CIO and principal at Hiram Johnson High School, told ABC10 Friday that 650 of the approximately 800 positions open for elimination are within his union. Nikki Davis Milevsky, president of the Sacramento City Teachers Association (SCTA), said her union has about 180 of the potentially eliminated positions.
“But there should be a lot less actual jobs lost because of vacancies and attrition like retirements and resignations,” Davis Milevsky pointed out.
The school board is set to meet again on March 19 to continue this difficult conversation – and these tough decisions.
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