The San Francisco Board of Education voted to eliminate 152 teaching and administrator positions because of anticipated state budget cuts at Tuesday night’s meeting.
The 6-1 vote came after the San Francisco Unified School District already issued layoff notices to 185 employees, including teachers, aides, program administrators, and support services personnel, officials said.
The decision to cut jobs comes from a state deadline to notify certificated staff of layoffs by May 15 and to submit a balanced budget by June 30, district officials said.
The number of layoffs this year might have been higher if the district did not use $10 million from a federal jobs bill to save 100 teaching positions, according to the district.
Since 2009, the district has reduced funding to its students from $6,000 per student to $4,900 per student, and much specialized program money has been eliminated.
Fewer instructional days and more unpaid staff furlough days are another result of the cuts.
About $113 million has already been eliminated, and the district is now facing the possibility of another $84 million in cuts over the next two years.
The district may be eligible to receive $8 million from the city as part of a “rainy day fund,” officials said, and this has the potential to preserve 100 teaching jobs.
If approved by Mayor Ed Lee and the Board of Supervisors, the money could recover some of the layoffs approved at Tuesday night’s meeting, officials said.
Superintendent Carlos Garcia encouraged community members to voice concerns about cuts to state lawmakers.
“In California, our public schools are in a state of emergency and have been for too long now,” Garcia said in a statement. “Our children deserve to have the best education and our state is failing on this fundamental obligation.”
Rachel Purdy, Bay City News
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