At a meeting yesterday, the Santa Cruz City Schools Board of Trustees agreed to lay off or reduce the hours of as many as 130 full-time and temporary teachers to make up for its $5.2 million deficit. The decision came after the teachers unions’ refused to offer any concessions on pay and furloughs. Teachers affected include 57 full-time and 23 part-time K-12 educators and 50 adult education teachers. The Board also voted to cut the hours on every adult education program in the county in a move described by Board President Rachel Dewey Thorsett as “the worst case scenario.”
At a meeting yesterday, the Santa Cruz City Schools Board of Trustees agreed to lay off or reduce the hours of as many as 130 full-time and temporary teachers to make up for its $5.2 million deficit. The decision came after the teachers unions’ refused to offer any concessions on pay and furloughs. Teachers affected include 57 full-time and 23 part-time K-12 educators and 50 adult education teachers. The Board also voted to cut the hours on every adult education program in the county in a move described by Board President Rachel Dewey Thorsett as “the worst case scenario.” The Board has until March 15 to finalize its decision and give out pink slips, though some may be rescinded as more information about available state funding becomes available.
The move comes just one day before students at UCSC and local colleges (and some K-12 students as well) hold their Day of Action to Defend Public Education. K-12 students, parents, and teachers will be participating in the afternoon protest in downtown Santa Cruz under the banner “tart the Day for Students.” Read more at the Santa Cruz Sentinel and Fox 35.
