Quick Take
Amid declining enrollment and shrinking state and federal funding, several Santa Cruz County school districts approved significant layoffs this year to maintain long-term financial stability. Districts including Pajaro Valley Unified, Soquel Union Elementary, Live Oak, Scotts Valley Unified and Santa Cruz City Schools proposed cuts affecting dozens of positions, though officials say some reductions could be avoided through attrition or other savings measures.
As school districts across California confront continued declining enrollment and reductions in state and federal funding, more and more are cutting costs and reducing their workforce.
While it’s common to occasionally have some reductions, this year, several Santa Cruz County school districts took more significant measures to ensure fiscal solvency in the long run.
Soquel Union Elementary, Live Oak School District, Scotts Valley Unified, Santa Cruz City Schools and Pajaro Valley Unified school districts all implemented reductions and layoffs to varying degrees.
On Dec. 11, PVUSD approved cutting the equivalent of nearly 160 positions, including all of the district’s 13 mental health clinicians, dozens of teachers and more than 40 special education positions. Later, Soquel Union Elementary School District approved eliminating the equivalent of nearly 17 full-time positions, and Live Oak School District approved cutting the equivalent of nearly 11 jobs, including six teachers and one mental health clinician.
Scotts Valley Unified School District approved eliminating the equivalent of 17.71 positions, including 4.41 classified staff, 4.7 certificated staff, one certificated administrator and 7.6 temporary certificated employees. Those cuts include reducing hours of a range of positions such as an office assistant, an athletic trainer and a campus security specialist. Additionally, the reductions include the equivalent of one counselor, two teachers each from Brook Knoll and Vine Hill elementary schools and one wellness specialist.
Santa Cruz City Schools approved several layoffs that affected support positions whose COVID funding had dried up, according to district spokesperson Sam Rolens. He said that retirements accounted for reductions in their teacher workforce.
Rolens added that the school district is bucking enrollment trends and is preparing to hire more teachers as its kindergarten and transitional kindergarten enrollment is likely to continue growing next year. However, he said, it’s too soon to know for certain.
Overall, he said, Santa Cruz City Schools is in a stable financial position. Rolens said that the recent additions of housing units appear to be helping to bring in younger families and boosting kindergarten enrollment.
“While school districts nationwide are feeling the crunch of budget reductions, and nearly all counties in California are seeing drops in the population of school-aged kids, we are immensely grateful for the foresight of our community to provide housing for families,” he said. “We are also proud and grateful to have the local support our community has provided.”
District officials from across the county say that some or many of the layoffs might not be implemented if they’re able to make savings through retirements or other means. But, by approving the layoffs earlier in the year, the school districts are meeting state-mandated deadlines while implementing layoffs. By March 15, districts must provide employees with preliminary layoff notices, and then by May 15, they have to inform employees of final layoff notices. It’s possible that some of these employees will keep their hours and positions next year.
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