Quick Take
More than 150 teachers and union supporters staged a coordinated walkout during a tense Pajaro Valley Unified School District board meeting Wednesday night, protesting the board’s approval of 160 layoffs amid an ongoing budget crisis. Organized by the Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers, the demonstration underscored escalating tensions over enrollment declines and the loss of pandemic-era funding as district leaders move forward with cuts.
More than 150 teachers and union supporters walked out of a Pajaro Valley Unified School District board meeting Wednesday night, escalating months of tension over proposed budget cuts and staff layoffs and leaving trustees to continue their meeting before a nearly empty chamber.
The coordinated protest, organized by the Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers (PVFT) to be a public show of unity, unfolded during the school district’s board meeting at the Watsonville City Council chambers.
The meeting quickly grew charged during public comment. Teachers wearing PVFT shirts that read, “You can’t put students first if you put educators last!” filled the chambers alongside parents and community supporters.
The audience cheered on and applauded speakers as they delivered emotional testimony against the layoffs of 160 teachers and staff the board approved in December.
After public comment concluded, PVFT members, led by union president Brandon Diniz, each approached the podium with stacks of paper — a petition with more than a thousand signatures asking the board to rescind planned budget cuts and layoffs. The union members left the petition on the podium for the PVUSD board members.
Moments later, teachers and supporters stood up and exited together in a coordinated walkout. Only about half a dozen audience members remained as trustees resumed the meeting.
After leaving the council chambers, teachers and supporters regrouped in the adjoining community room, where tables were set with pizza, refreshments and stacks of postcards and letters addressed to encourage state legislators to fund education based on schools’ enrollment rather than daily attendance.
For many educators, the coordinated exit served as both protest and warning, a public signal that tensions between teachers and district leadership remain high as budget decisions move forward in the weeks ahead.
PVUSD Superintendent Heather Contreras first began to address the district’s budget issues in late 2024, shortly after she was hired. Like many districts across the state, PVUSD’s budget crisis was caused by significant enrollment decline as well as its loss of COVID-era funds that were used to fund ongoing staff positions, according to Contreras.
