Schools

SLzUSD Issues Twenty-Nine Pink Slips

The San Lorenzo Unified School District notified 29 additional teachers and administrators that they may be laid off, after axing 79 temporary teachers in February.

As school districts across the state brace for worst-case scenarios, the issued 29 additional pink slips to teachers and administrators, boosting the total number of layoffs to just over 100.

The district issued layoff notices to 79 temporary teachers in February, and voted to notify additional teachers despite public outcry at the school board's .

Though the district said it hopes to eventually rehire all of the teachers pink-slipped this spring, administrators are preparing for a loss of hundreds of dollars per pupil if Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed budget fails to pass in its entirety and three state taxes are not extended by voters in June.

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In his budget report Tuesday night, Dr. Lowell Shira, the district's assistant superintendent for business, laid out three possible paths forward.

In the first, what administrators are calling the best case, the district would lose approximately $19 per student, a modest hit compared with years past. California ranks 47th in the country for K-12 per-pupil spending, paying just $7,571 per student, about $2,000 less than the national average.

Find out what's happening in Castro Valleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Superintendent Dr. Dennis Byas said he was pessimistic cuts would be so slight.

"The reality of it is, the $19 number is really not a real number anymore," he said.

In the scenario many are now hoping for, per-pupil dollars would drop by $349, necessitating some cuts and sparing schools others. However, many local districts are budgeting for a worst-case of about $600 per student, and perhaps even more. 

"It’s kind of like disaster preparedness, preparing for some of these scenarios," Shira said. "If the $600 cut occurs, we will have to cut dramatically, quickly."

Some local districts have estimated they could lose as much as $1,000 per student. Until the governor's budget begins to move through the state legislature, there's almost no telling what could happen, Byas said.

"We have to budget conservatively."

Curious about teachers laid off from San Lorenzo schools?  Stay tuned to Patch as we follow the long trail of budget cuts in the weeks to come.


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