\t\t\t\t\tWhat’s at stake?<\/p>\n
The final reductions will be effective June 30 and come as the district forecasts a deficit of $59 million for the coming 2026-27 school year.<\/p>\n
The Fresno Unified Board of Education moved forward with a process that is expected to trigger job cuts and layoffs, with more than 200 positions<\/a> potentially on the line.<\/p>\n The vote came late Wednesday during a tense regularly-scheduled board of trustees meeting.<\/p>\n Edison High School sophomore Brianna Smith was one of many students and community members who spoke out against the job cuts.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen education funding is cut, the impact reaches far beyond classrooms, but in families and futures,\u201d she said. \u201cWhat does that say about how the district values those who educate us?\u201d<\/p>\n According to district communications manager AJ Kato, the layoffs are expected to save the district $58.2 million.\u00a0<\/p>\n The exact number of positions affected won\u2019t be finalized until March 15, said FUSD Chief of Human Resources David Chavez.<\/p>\n \u201cIt triggers the bumping and layoff process is really what it is,\u201d Chavez told reporters after Wednesday\u2019s meeting about the board\u2019s unanimous decisions to pass both reduction resolutions. Only the student board members voted against the resolutions.<\/p>\n \u201cSo statutorily, Education Code requires a district to take action to do preliminary notices by March 15 on any type of layoff, and layoff being a reduction in hours [or] reduction in pay that potentially could impact an employee, so tonight, they\u2019re just really launching a process that goes all the way through June,\u201d Chavez explained.<\/p>\n Chavez further explained that, after March 15, employees may request a hearing by May 7 if they feel they shouldn\u2019t be part of the reductions.\u00a0 Layoff notices would then be sent out May 14, but Chavez noted that, depending on the number of vacancies in the district, affected staff would be offered alternative roles that maintain their benefits. If a role in their previous position opens up in the future, Chavez says they would be eligible to re-apply.<\/p>\n Chief Financial Officer Patrick Jensen also said that option would be available for employees who do not undergo the \u201cbumping\u201d process, where senior staff are \u201cbumped\u201d to a lower position, replacing junior staff, while retaining employment in the district.<\/p>\n The final reductions will be effective June 30 and come as the district forecasts a deficit of $59 million<\/a> for the coming 2026-27 school year. Without the proposed layoffs, Jensen said Fresno Unified\u2019s deficit spending would only increase, leading to the district\u2019s reserves going below a 2% threshold in two years.<\/p>\n If that happened, it would require the State of California to provide oversight over Fresno Unified and its finances.<\/p>\n \u201cFundamentally, we\u2019re in a scenario that, due to low enrollment and low attendance, we\u2019re deficit spending, and so those reserves are currently being spent down and if we do not take action in order to reduce that deficit, what will occur is the district reserves will drop below the 2% state requirement, as required by the state of California and the CDE,\u201d Jensen told the media after the board meeting.<\/p>\n According to Kato and the 2025-26 first interim financial report<\/a>, the current year\u2019s reserve of 5.83% amounts to about $97.82 million. For the coming 2026-27 year, the district projects a reserve level of 3.77%, or $61.55 million, plus a reserve projection of 3.03% in 2027-28, or $48.48 million.<\/p>\n