{"id":197229,"date":"2026-02-27T23:45:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T23:45:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/197229\/"},"modified":"2026-02-27T23:45:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T23:45:11","slug":"santa-clara-unified-layoffs-pass-unanimously","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/197229\/","title":{"rendered":"Santa Clara Unified Layoffs Pass Unanimously"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Santa Clara Unified Board of Trustees approved the dreaded layoffs after months of pushback. At the board meeting on Thursday, Feb. 26, the district made some changes before approving the layoffs; however, these concessions didn\u2019t change the fact that many beloved teachers and staff members will lose their jobs.<\/p>\n

The Decision<\/p>\n

The Board passed three resolutions unanimously. \u201cResolution of Release and Non-Reemployment of Temporary Certificated Staff\u201d shows that 11 people will not be welcomed back next school year. \u201cReduction or Elimination of Classified Services (Classified Layoff)\u201d indicates that they are laying off 36 employees. \u201cReduction or Discontinuance of Particular Kinds of Service (Certificated Layoffs)\u201d lays off 70 employees, including 51 classroom teaching positions.<\/p>\n

Superintendent Dr. Damon Wright did offer an apology to 10 grant-funded paraeducators who, unfortunately, found out they were losing their jobs when the meeting\u2019s agenda went live. Dr. Wright said they fell \u201ca little short.\u201d<\/p>\n

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These resolutions do reflect some updates since the original plan was presented at the last meeting on Feb. 12<\/a> and address some of the concerns brought up at previous meetings. First, they will keep one additional Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA) to support the special education program. Second, there is a commitment that the remaining elementary PE teachers will not be assigned to more than two schools.<\/p>\n

In the last presentation, it was stated that five behavior technicians would be laid off. Now, Dr. Wright says there will be no layoffs yet. Instead, they will reduce positions through attrition. Additionally, the district has decided to retain its professional learning specialist.<\/p>\n

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The district must notify the affected employees by March 15. But unfortunately, this is not the end. Dr. Wright said they will reevaluate staffing and \u201crightsizing\u201d annually.<\/p>\n

However, there are some glimpses of hope. After open enrollment settles, Dr. Wright said they may be able to rescind some layoff notices and reduce 2nd-3rd grade combo classes at Title I schools. Don Callejon Arts and Design School is also popular for open enrollment, so they may do staffing adjustments once that is settled.<\/p>\n

Final Pleas<\/p>\n

Stepping back a few hours to before the vote, the community did have a chance to speak. Unfortunately, their pleas didn\u2019t change the fate of the staff on the chopping block.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery position eliminated, every person laid off is a failure and a loss,\u201d said UTSC Vice President Ian Jackson. \u201cA failure by the district to hire appropriately, a failure by the union to protect our people, a loss to the school sites, communities, and students that these people have dedicated themselves to serving.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Scott Lane Elementary School community showed up to advocate for their popular Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program. According to teachers, they are losing eight DLI teachers, which will affect every grade level in the program. After the years these teachers invested, they were heartbroken that the layoffs would destabilize a beloved program. Scott Lane, a Title I school, may lose 40% of its current teachers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel sad that our teachers may be laid off,\u201d said Rosaline Curits, a third-grade DLI student at Scott Lane. \u201cOur DLI teachers care about us. They work very hard and help us grow. It would be really hard to lose them. Please keep our DLI teachers at our school. We need them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Wright acknowledged that the DLI teachers may be impacted because they are lower on the seniority list. He said the layoffs follow Education Code and seniority; they are not program-specific, but district-wide.<\/p>\n

The District plans to lay off five middle school registrars, and these employees are asking: Where does their work go when they are gone? The work doesn\u2019t just disappear. It seems like the enrollment center is expected to pick up the extra work, but the registrars on the chopping block claim this is not a solution.<\/p>\n

The same plea<\/a> has been echoed over and over again: slow down. But the district claims they can\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Board Clerk] Mr. [Andy] Ratermann says, \u2018you gotta do what you gotta do\u2019,\u201d recalled Jackson. \u201cWell, what you gotta do is slow down and stay student-centered.\u201d<\/p>\n

CSEA Chapter President Stephanie Alepin said that many employees are taking the early retirement incentive, and this shows that natural attrition is working.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the board pulls back the remaining classified layoffs this year and allows attrition to continue over the next one to two years, the classified reduction target can be met without destabilizing essential student support services or district operations and we can reasonably restructure with respect to the work that still needs to be done,\u201d said Alepin about CSEA union\u2019s position on the layoffs.<\/p>\n

Many parents and teachers said the district\u2019s reserves will be fine as they are, and slashing $30 million worth of jobs at once is too aggressive. Dr. Wright claims they must act now to be fiscally responsible and avoid harsher consequences.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of the 2019-2020 school year, our district reserves were at 57% of the total general fund budget,\u201d said Dr. Wright. \u201cBased on the 2025-2026 first interim report, our reserves are projected to be at 24% of the total general fund budget. This represents a decrease of more than $45 million during this period, and during this same period, general fund salaries and benefits increased from $248 million to $402 million.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Moments before midnight, after Board discussion and listening to the community, the vote was finalized. Now, dejected employees are left with platitudes and pink slips. <\/p>\n

You can watch the full meeting on the District\u2019s YouTube page<\/a>. You can also find the full meeting agenda and the presentations at https:\/\/santaclarausd.community.highbond.com\/Portal\/MeetingInformation.aspx?Org=Cal&Id=366<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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