Another Sacramento-area school district is considering layoffs Tuesday. Here’s why
The San Juan Unified School Board will consider Tuesday whether to authorize the district to eliminate up to 320 full-time positions.
It was unknown how many of the positions on the list are currently vacant, according to Raj Rai, a district spokesperson.
The positions could include counselors, school social workers, instructional assistants and campus safety monitors, as well as certified teachers, according to the staff report for Tuesday’s meeting. The district has nearly 50,000 enrolled students across 94 campuses in Sacremento’s northeast suburbs, including Arden Arcade, Carmichael, Citrus Heights and Fair Oaks.
During the board’s last meeting on Feb. 10, trustee Ben Avey said some of the positions were created with state grant funding during COVID-19, which has since run out.
“None of the positions on this list would be here if they weren’t important to the district,” Avey said during that meeting. “But we also have to make sure we handle our finances appropriately so we do not end up in a worse situation, which we can see when we look outward ... we just have to move forward with it.”
Barry Roth, president of the San Juan Teachers Association, said he does not yet know whether there will be any layoffs in his unit.
“SJTA has consistently advocated that any reductions should be made away from the classroom and the school site,” Roth said in an email Friday. “SJTA will continue to engage the district about potential impacts to our members that will ultimately affect students and families.
Unlike Sacramento City Unified School District, SJUSD is not facing a structural budget deficit for the current fiscal year, which ends June 30.
SCUSD, which has about 7,000 fewer enrolled students, is facing a $113 million budget deficit and its board earlier this month approved the elimination of about 400 full-time positions, including about 120 that are vacant.
On Feb. 18, the Elk Grove Unified School District Board approved the elimination of about 78 full-time positions, including about 18 that were vacant. No certificated teaching positions were on that list. Elk Grove is the largest district in Northern California with roughly 63,500 enrolled students.
A spokesperson for Folsom Cordova Unified School District, which is roughly half the size of SJUSD, said the district does not expect any layoffs this cycle due to a budget deficit. A spokesperson for the Natomas Unified School District, which has about 17,000 students, said layoffs will not be discussed at Tuesday’s board meeting.
If the SJUSD board approves the item on Tuesday, district staff will make decisions in the spring and issue final notices to employees in May, Rai said. That was also the timeline for other districts across the state.
During last year’s process, which was completed in May, a large number of teachers and counselors were removed from the list and did not receive final notices, said Trent Allen, the district’s chief of staff.
The SJUSD board meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the district’s offices, 3738 Walnut Ave., Carmichael.
The Bee’s Jennah Pendleton contributed to this story.
