The human resources director told her it was “just part of the process.” Probationary status, she was assured, would come the following year.
It never did.
Each year brought the same story: temporary contracts across the board, “no exceptions,” apologies from the principal, and promises that reclassification was just around the corner. When COVID-19 hit, pandemic uncertainty became the new reason. A human resources secretary told the teacher during her third year that “this never happens” and that she had “quite a few temporary teachers going on their third year.”
Then in March 2022, the district cut all temporary teachers loose, citing lost pandemic funding and low enrollment.
The district’s entire defence rested on two permanent teachers who shared one full-time position under a voluntary job-sharing arrangement. It argued the arrangement amounted to “leave” under California Education Code section 44920, which permits temporary hires when a permanent teacher has been granted leave.