In recent weeks, Anaheim Union High School District trustees voted to potentially cut more than 100 teaching positions — and AUHSD isn’t the only school district grappling with layoffs on the horizon.
A wave of layoffs might seem like a shock, but this is an annual occurrence for school districts.
Every spring, California school districts assess what is needed — or not needed — for their schools. If there are financial constraints or enrollment declines, a district may need to implement staff layoffs.
Layoffs can affect both certificated jobs — positions that require a certificate to be qualified for the role; teachers, counselors and principals fall under this category — and classified positions — where a certain certificate is not required, like office staff, custodians and food service workers. Temporary and probational employees also can be eliminated.
Related: School layoffs OK’d again across the Inland Empire
If layoffs are deemed a potential necessity, districts must notify impacted staff by March 15 each school year. The final list of what positions are being cut must be done by May 15. (Finalized lists only involve those first notified in March.)
The timeline of when these notices are given revolves around the release of the state budget, which directly affects how public education funds can be spent. Roughly 40% of California’s budget is used toward public education, meaning education gets more money when the state’s economy is strong but potentially less during declines — as might be the case this year.
In January, Gov. Gavin Newsom shared the budget proposal, showing that the state is projected to face an over $37 billion deficit.
A more accurate picture of the state’s 2024-25 budget will be unveiled in May, but districts and charter schools are preparing to have less funding to work with than in previous years, “even as they’re dealing with inflation pressures and other rising operational costs, like…
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