{"id":156834,"date":"2026-01-30T18:33:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T18:33:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/156834\/"},"modified":"2026-01-30T18:33:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T18:33:09","slug":"cypress-elementary-school-board-urged-to-avoid-layoffs-to-fill-3-3-million-budget-gap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/156834\/","title":{"rendered":"Cypress Elementary School Board urged to avoid layoffs to fill $3.3 million budget gap"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The Cypress Elementary School District Board of Trustees tasked with slicing $3.3 million from budget to compensate for overspending.
\nCourtesy illustration<\/p>\n

By Emily Henderson<\/p>\n

The Cypress School District is trying to figure out how to close a projected $3.3 million budget gap for the 2026-27 school year. Parents, teachers, staff, and school board members all say they want to balance the budget without eliminating positions or programs that directly impact students. But that may be out of reach since 83% of the district\u2019s budget is devoted to personnel.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo matter how we look at it, there is going to be a pinch of some sort,\u201d Board President Lydia Sondhi, Ph.D., told attendees at the close of the January 20 meeting of the board after district staff presented a preliminary budget reduction plan. Dr. Sondhi also made it a point to assure the public that the board was still in \u201cthe middle of the process,\u201d adding, \u201cwe\u2019re still in a movement towards that decision-making [of] ultimately what is going to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

The plan outlined at the Jan. 20 meeting by Assistant Superintendent Larry Ferchaw calls for eliminating 19 certificated positions, including several teaching jobs, for estimated savings of more than $1.6 million. The district is also proposing cutting more than a dozen classified positions, including three custodians and all of the health clerks and library clerks at the district\u2019s six TK-6 campuses to save more than $1.2 million. The proposal also includes slashing $600,000 in spending on supplies and services.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are fairly deep reductions that we are talking about, and we want to be sensitive to the fact that \u2026 those have the potential to have a significant impact on the employees and the students of the district,\u201d Ferchaw stated.<\/p>\n

The district, which already spent $3 million in one-time funds to balance this year\u2019s budget, cites declining enrollment as a main reason for its financial struggles. The district currently serves around 3,200 preschool through sixth grade students from Cypress, Buena Park, and La Palma. According to Ferchaw, that number is expected to decline by 125 students next school year. \u201cWith fewer students, the district\u2019s projected funding does not keep pace with the rising cost of continued operations each year,\u201d reads a statement from the district issued on Jan. 16.<\/p>\n

\"\"CSD Board of Trustees President Lydia Sondhi, Ph.D.<\/p>\n

Ferchaw shared a list of 22 potential budget reductions that were discussed and ranked by a budget advisory committee. The same list was also ranked by principals at the school sites. The committee ranked the \u201creduction of services contracts\u201d as number one, while principals ranked \u201creductions to District Office clerical\/support positions\u201d as the top option to cut costs. Other options included in the list were implementing energy conservation measures and eliminating teacher on special assignment (T.O.S.A.) positions.<\/p>\n

A vote on a resolution authorizing layoffs is expected at the board\u2019s Feb. 12 meeting, with layoff notices required to be distributed by March 13. There will still be discussion of additional layoffs occurring throughout March and April, and resolutions will be finalized by May 14. Some layoffs may be rescinded \u201cif more funding becomes available or costs decrease.\u201d All employees who are affected by May 14 will be \u201cplaced on a 39-month rehire list,\u201d with \u201cbumping rights\u201d to be rehired for their previous positions, or ones like it.<\/p>\n

Ferchaw cautioned that the district\u2019s budget is dynamic, characterizing the situation as \u201ca constantly evolving process.\u201d At the December 11, 2025 board meeting, trustees approved the 2025-26 First Interim Budget Report with a \u201cqualified\u201d status, indicating the district \u201cmay not be able to meet its financial obligations in the current or subsequent two fiscal years.\u201d That is partly because the district predicted it would not have the legally required amount in reserves. That has triggered increased fiscal oversight from the Orange County Department of Education. More intervention at the county and state level could come if the budget situation is not improved.<\/p>\n

\u201cKeep the cuts away from our kids\u201d<\/p>\n

At the Jan. 20 meeting, several speakers voiced concerns about the proposal to slash jobs and programs.
\u201cThe proposed layoffs by the district are irresponsible,\u201d Barbara Fernandez, the health clerk at Luther Elementary, told the board during public comment. \u201cWhat will happen to our students? Will there be a medical emergency missed, where it will be too late, resulting in a death? I ask the board to reconsider their decision and choose the safety and health of their students.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vessels Elementary sixth-grade teacher Andrea O\u2019Gara pleaded with the board, \u201cPlease keep the cuts away from our kids.\u201d She added, \u201cPlease be surgical. Look at each proposed cut carefully and ask one guiding question: how does this affect the children we serve?\u201d<\/p>\n

Later in the evening, parent Maria Calderon-Guzman asked why the cuts had to come from the school sites. \u201cWhy are we not examining salary reductions for district leadership, especially for those in the top 10% of earners?\u201d she asked, drawing applause from attendees, many of whom were wearing Association of Cypress Teachers (ACT) apparel.<\/p>\n

ACT President Candi Earley addressed the proposed job cuts during the union\u2019s regularly scheduled agenda item. \u201cThere\u2019s been considerable discussion and speculation regarding how the district arrived at its current financial situation, but regardless of the circumstances, many educators feel that they are bearing the brunt of these reductions,\u201d Early said. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s our sincere hope that the revised budget will be more favorable than expected and that the district will prioritize reinstating programs and positions that most directly support student learning and well-being.\u201d In 2022, the board gave teachers a 9% pay raise at a cost of $19 million.<\/p>\n

The representative for the classified staff union also spoke at the meeting. \u201cOur classified employees are deeply committed to this district. They show up every day because they care about the students and families they serve,\u201d California School Employees Association (CSEA) representative Alex Mehlbrech said. He added that CSEA remains committed to working with the district to \u201cfind solutions that protect students, preserve essential services and respect the people who make our schools run.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trustees seek reductions that do not impact staff or students<\/p>\n

During the discussion portion of the proposed budget cuts, all five of the trustees and Superintendent Anne Silavs expressed a desire to minimize the impact to students.<\/p>\n

Trustee Jaime Needham inquired about the number of secretaries at the district office. Ferchaw said that Cypress School District has fewer administrators than nearby districts and a lot of the staff has taken on multiple roles in the recent past. \u201cI know from experience that we run a very lean district operation, and you know the people who work here wear many hats,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Needham also stressed the need to explore other options for cutting costs and generating more revenue, including incentivizing retirements, or creating new programs to increase enrollment. \u201cI know we\u2019ve talked a little bit about dual language, but has there been any talk around, like, a STEM magnet or a GATE magnet or anything like that, where we\u2019d service the neighborhood kids, but also pull in kids that maybe go to surrounding districts?\u201d Needham asked.<\/p>\n

Supt. Silavs responded that those programs take resources to launch that are limited right now. \u201cWe could always look to that in the future as another way to increase enrollment,\u201d Silavs said. \u201cBut I think right now, those programs would all take an investment that maybe we don\u2019t have at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trustee Troy Tanaka asked if leadership had explored reducing executive compensation or bonuses. Silavs said that there are \u201cno executive bonuses in Cypress School District.\u201d She suggested, \u201cif we need to find more money, there are opportunities to pursue furlough days \u2026 across our entire organization,\u201d but noted that would require negotiations due to contracts.<\/p>\n

Dr. Sondhi asked for a list of all of the funds in the budget to better understand where money could possibly be moved around to help close the budget gap. She also thanked all of the speakers for sharing their perspectives and invited them to send more suggestions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe hear you. We love you. We love our district. We love our kids,\u201d Dr. Sondhi said. \u201cLet\u2019s make sure that we do what\u2019s best [for] everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Cypress Elementary School District Board of Trustees tasked with slicing $3.3 million from budget to compensate for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":156835,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[163,165,164],"class_list":["post-156834","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-anaheim","tag-anaheim","tag-anaheim-headlines","tag-anaheim-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156834","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=156834"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156834\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/156835"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=156834"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=156834"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=156834"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}