On Tuesday, the Redlands school board voted to start the pink slip process for 138 jobs. Superintendent Juan Cabral described the long list as the “worst case scenario” and said the vote was not a guarantee that all jobs would be cut.
The proposed cuts will impact both classified and certificated employees from teachers to counselors to paraprofessionals. District office staff cite budgetary restraints and declining student enrollment as the cause for the job cuts. Redlands Unified School District is facing a $17 million deficit. The proposed list of cuts equals some $15 million, according to Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Jason Hill.
According to Redlands Teachers’ Association President Stephen Caperton, 100% of elementary PE teachers, elementary library paraprofessionals and teachers on assignment would be cut. Some 66% of LVNs and 45% of assistant principals would also be cut.
“In contrast, the central office is only cutting just under 7% of their management staff,” said Caperton.
Not a single public commenter during the fiery two hour public participation period spoke in favor of the cuts. Parents, teachers and school nurses told the board they believed students would bear the brunt of the cuts.
Greg Abt, who’s with the California Teachers’ Association, criticized the board for raising their stipends to $24,000 a year, nearly a 300% increase.
“Over 135 teachers, ESPs and low level administration, will lose their jobs,” Abt said to the board. “Don't tell us. Don't tell me what you value. Show me your budget, and I'll tell you what you value.”
Board members Patty Holohan and Melissa Ayala-Quintero voted no on the cuts citing concerns about student outcomes and safety.
“I would ask that cabinet would go back and see what you can do to find other resources, or find other places, or another avenue that we can go to,” said Holohan, adding she could not support the cuts.
Board President Michelle Rendler, along with board members Candy Olson and Jeanette Wilson, voted in favor of the action.
“Sometimes you overspend,” Rendler said, comparing the situation to a household budget. “You go on a vacation you probably shouldn’t have gone on, and you have to pull back. And sometimes it’s hard.”
Cabral said district staff will continue evaluating staffing ratios and plan to present a final list of proposed layoffs to the board by March 10.
The board will vote again on the official list of layoffs. Under California Education Code, certificated employees like teachers and counselors must be given preliminary notice by March 15 and permanent notice by May 15.
Laid off education employees have preferred reemployment rights for 39 months in California. Cabral said if the budget changes, those employees will be the first ones asked back.