Students and residents in two North Orange County school districts are raising concerns about the loss of teachers and potentially top administrators.
In Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District there’s questions being raised that a number of principals and other top school administrators have been given the option to leave their jobs or take a demotion without any reasoning.
But district officials say there has been no mass firing of school administrators and chalked up the concerns to “misinformation.”
Meanwhile in the Anaheim Union High School District, district officials announced this month that they intend to lay off over 100 teachers by the end of the school year as enrollment rates decrease.
A Walkout: What’s Happening to Principals in PYLUSD?
Two Esperanza High School students announced a planned walkout at the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District Board of Trustees meeting last week and claimed they found out through social media that their principal was let go.
“You serve a purpose to support the students yet you let go our biggest means of support,” said one of the students at the March 12 meeting.
“Your changes seem to have an underlying political agenda that no longer benefits the students but rather forces them to conform to your own personal ideologies,” said the other student at the meeting.
In a Tuesday emailed statement, district Superintendent Alex Cherniss said while other districts in OC are laying off teachers, there has been an increase in enrollment in the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District.
He also denied there had been a mass firing of school administrators in the district.
“It’s disheartening to see misinformation spread in our community that might hinder our district’s forward momentum,” reads his statement.
“There have been no mass firings of principals and no firings of athletic directors, executive directors, and/or directors. Every school district has typical employment matters, which often coincide with a statutory March 15 deadline. Our school district is no different.”
Cherniss did not answer questions about whether principals were told to take a demotion or resign.
According to an Instagram post by organizers behind the protest, students are expected to walk out in protest and to call for greater transparency from district leaders.
The students’ March 12 public comments came about a month after trustees met behind closed doors on Feb. 13 and voted unanimously to release and reassign certificated employees from their administrative positions.
That same day the board also voted unanimously in closed session to not bring back probationary employees for the next school year.
All five board members did not respond Monday to emailed questions on the issue.
An online petition has garnered over 400 signatures as of Tuesday morning against the alleged unjust termination of district principals and staff members which proponents say threatens the stability of the district.
“The community has a right to know the reasons behind any potential terminations and to have a say in decisions that affect the future of our schools,” reads the petition.
“We call upon the administration of PYLUSD to halt any plans to fire principals and staff without cause and to engage in open and honest dialogue with the community about the future of our schools.”
Anaheim Union to Lay Off Over 100 Teachers
In the Anaheim Union High School District (AUHSD), decreasing enrollment has led to the termination of 132 teachers by the end of the current school year.
The district has lost over 3,500 students since the 2017-2018 school year, according to a staff presentation at the March 7 board meeting. That’s approximately the same number of students that both a high school and junior high school could separately enroll.
At the same time, staff said the district has seen an increase in full-time teachers employed across campuses. That’s largely due to the pandemic, since the district used one-time pandemic funding to hire temporary teachers.
The teacher layoffs are spread across English, math, physical education, science and social studies departments. The layoffs will affect both temporary and permanent teacher positions.
AUHSD Superintendent Mike Matsuda released a video statement on March 12 explaining the decision behind the layoffs.
“We remain committed to maintaining our teaching staff to the best of our abilities,” Matsuda said. “However, declining student enrollment and ongoing financial pressures necessitate difficult decisions ahead.”
He also refuted claims that the layoffs unfairly target teachers.
“We have worked tirelessly to prioritize the retention of all staff members, including teachers,” Matsuda said. “Last year, we made reductions across various departments, including counseling and classified areas in response to evolving needs and challenges.”
District officials also projected that enrollment will continue to decrease by another 1,350 students in the 2024-2025 school year, another 1,185 students in the 2025-2026 school year and another 935 students in the 2026-2027 school year.
The district is also seeing decreasing attendance, with about 90% of students attending class regularly, down from 95% in the 2021-2022 school year.
School districts receive state funding based on enrollment and attendance numbers.
Board President Annemarie Randle-Trejo said the decision came down to economics and has nothing to do with the quality or work ethic of the teachers.
“This is, as my colleague said, one of the hardest things that we have to face,” Randle-Trejo said at the March 7 meeting. “If we do not face this, we do not have a school district. We can’t run a school district on negative funds.”
The AUHSD Board of Trustees voted unanimously on March 7 to move forward with the layoff process. Teachers and students from the district attended the board meeting to advocate against the layoffs.
“A group of AUHSD students have gathered here today to request that we keep our teachers,” Oxford Academy senior Luqman Muhammad said during the board meeting. “I and every student here would not have had the courage to be in front of you if it weren’t for the incredible mentorship and coaching that the teachers you plan to lay off have demonstrated.”
Hosam Elattar is a Voice of OC reporter and corps member with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him at helattar@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @ElattarHosam.
Angelina Hicks is a Voice of OC Tracy Wood Reporting Fellow. Contact her at ahicks@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @angelinahicks13.
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