The district has been battling budget deficits year after year due to declining student enrollment and lower average daily attendance. It is losing about $15 million annually because of the declines.<\/p>\n
Currently, it is fending off a $77 million budget shortfall.<\/p>\n To stay afloat, leaders are making sweeping layoffs, reducing the total number of employees by 383.8 full-time equivalent positions. That figure includes the elimination of 183 retirement and vacant positions, according to district CFO Patrick Jensen.<\/p>\n The move will generate $60 million in savings, but only $39.8 million will be actual reductions, Jensen said. The rest will be directed to other initiatives to support students.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re targeting about $25 million in reductions next year in order to completely close the structural deficit,\u201d he told GV Wire. \u201cWe\u2019re taking reductions and then we\u2019re spending reserves. And so that\u2019s how we\u2019re closing the gap.\u201d<\/p>\n FTA Says These Cuts Will Harm the District<\/p>\n The Fresno Teachers Association condemned the cuts at a news conference before the meeting, and folks subsequently filled the room to speak in opposition.<\/p>\n They argued that cutting staff and programs will lead to less support, staff burnout, and more students exiting the district.<\/p>\n \u201cWe continuously follow up to ensure students are successfully enrolled and actively attending,\u201d said Diana Arenavas, a child welfare and attendance specialist. \u201cThese vital positions contribute to increase of the ADA and, in turn, support our declining budget.\u201d<\/p>\n Fifteen child welfare and attendance specialist positions will be eliminated.<\/p>\n Related Story: Fresno Unified Workers Air Concerns About Layoffs, Hiring Freezes at Board …<\/a><\/p>\n Timeline of Layoffs<\/p>\n In the previous two board meetings, the governing board approved sending out layoff notices to over 270 employees.<\/p>\n The bumping and layoff process will begin in mid-May.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s a seniority-based process, where the employee with the most seniority would either move into a role in the same classification, if they have more seniority than somebody else in that classification, and if they don\u2019t, then they would be able to bump an individual with less seniority in that classification they held before,\u201d human resources director David Chavez said at a previous meeting.<\/p>\n The bumping and layoff process stretches through June 30 and into July.<\/p>\n \u201cApproximately 85% of our budget is spent on staffing, and so that\u2019s where the majority of cuts are going to come. But at the same time, we\u2019re looking to reduce contracts in other areas as well,\u201d Jensen said.<\/p>\n The district is decreasing funds dedicated to services and supplies. For example, TK-6 enrichment trips will be eliminated, saving $2.2 million.<\/p>\n Related Story: Community Assails Fresno Unified Trustees Over Proposed Layoffs<\/a><\/p>\n Where is Fresno Unified Cutting?<\/p>\n While Fresno Unified is making reductions across the board, certain departments are being hit harder than others.<\/p>\n The areas taking the biggest blows are Prevention and Intervention, and School Safety and Security. Additionally, changes in school site staffing parameters are leading to the elimination of 136.5 FTE.<\/p>\n However, the district is also adding 79 FTE positions and shifting investments. Special education is getting the largest boost with an overall growth of 16 FTE.<\/p>\n Some positions, such as additional literacy interventionists, are being added to support the district\u2019s new student outcomes-focused goals and guardrails, Jensen said.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of the other positions that you\u2019ll see added aren\u2019t necessarily adds,\u201d he said. \u201cA lot of those are positions that were downgraded in certain cases, as people vacated those positions. Then you\u2019re also going to see certain positions where a number of those positions were reduced, and then only one brought back.\u201d<\/p>\n Community and Labor Unions Want to Prevent Cuts to Classrooms<\/p>\n Union groups and speakers criticized \u201ctop-heavy\u201d leadership, telling the district to make cuts away from the classroom.<\/p>\n \u201cCut from the top rather than the bottom,\u201d Fresno High School teacher Marina Santos told the board. Her comment was met with thunderous applause from the crowd.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/GVWire-Ad-Get-our-mobile-app-1280x90-1-1.jpg\")
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