Santa Ana Unified school board members could lay off almost 300 teachers, counselors, coaches and social workers at the end of the school year as district officials wrestle with a roughly $180 million budget deficit.
The potential layoffs in one of Orange County’s largest school districts comes as public education leaders struggle with dwindling federal COVID bailout funds and declining enrollment at public schools across OC and the country.
Now, school board members are expected to hold a special meeting on Friday Jan. 31 at 5 p.m. to review over 500 certificated staff positions and potentially move forward with a plan to layoff an estimated 280 teachers, counselors and other staff.
It comes despite pushback from teachers, parents, students, staff and union representatives who showed up to Tuesday’s board meeting to protest the cuts.
Karen Pineda Sanchez, a counselor at Segerstrom High School, said staff cuts could add extra strains on counselors which in turn could hinder their ability to give students adequate support.
“Some of the things that will be impacted right now for Santa Ana Unified–we do have a 250-1 ratio, so 250 students to one counselor,” Sanchez said in an interview. “If the cuts happen, we are increasing that ratio, which limits services, which limits time to go see counselors.”
In a Jan. 21 letter posted on the district’s website, Superintendent Jerry Almendariz said the district has been preparing for years for the financial challenges they now face.
“Santa Ana Unified is not alone in facing these challenges. Across California, school districts are grappling with the expiration of COVID-relief grants, forcing difficult but necessary decisions,” he wrote.
“Declining enrollment and increasing operational costs require us to right-size staffing and reallocate resources to ensure our district’s long-term sustainability.”
While school board members were expected to discuss the cuts Tuesday, they kicked the item to a special meeting because their Tuesday meeting ran long.
Board members did not respond to requests for comments Wednesday morning.
Will More OC School Districts Face Mass Layoffs?
Santa Ana Unified school board members are not the only elected officials in recent years to consider mass layoffs as they struggle to quell financial woes.
In May, Anaheim Union district officials decided to not move forward with a plan to layoff over 100 instructors to save costs amid a decrease in student enrollment in recent years.
[Read: Anaheim Union High School District Scraps Dozens of Scheduled Teacher Layoffs]
The decision in Anaheim came after the district lost over 3,500 students since the 2017-18 school year.
Meanwhile, Santa Ana’s enrollment has dropped from over 63,000 students in the 2002-2003 school year to around 38,000 students in the 2023-2024 school year, according to the district.
School districts receive funding based on enrollment and attendance numbers.
Almendariz said at Tuesday’s meeting it was only a matter of time before other districts started publicly looking at layoffs too.
“In the next couple of months, you’re going to see some other districts’ names floating in the news,” he said.
Kevin Gordon, president of Capital Advisors Group – an investment advisement organization, told board members Tuesday that districts across the state are facing this problem.
“Districts like Santa Ana are not alone. It’s two thirds of California public school districts are cutting their budgets. They’re doing layoffs. They’re doing all kinds of ugliness,” he said. “We need a lot of help in public education, and we need investment in order to curb some of these problems.”
Layoffs are not the only way board members are looking to save money.
At Tuesday’s meeting, board members voted to reopen a process for eligible employees facing layoffs to apply for what’s called a “supplemental early retirement incentive” in an effort to save money and lessen the amount of people they would potentially layoff.
According to district officials, the incentive is 80% of the employee’s current salary put into annuity for five or 10 years if they retire.
In a text message Tuesday, district spokesman Fermin Leal said about 150 employees took the “golden handshake deal” – the incentive – before the process was reopened yesterday.
School Employees Sound Off on Potential Layoffs
Educators and counselors argue the staff cuts would negatively impact the students they teach.
Their concerns include increased class sizes and a reduction of counseling – including support for undocumented students and students with undocumented family members who are worried about President Donald Trump’s federal immigration directives.
[Read: How is Orange County Going to Handle Trump’s Immigration Crackdown?]
Noemi Ruelas, a counselor in the district, said that while district officials proclaimed they stand in solidarity with immigrant families, they are cutting the employees who are supposed to support those families’ kids.
“When students are needing support because they are scared of deportation, who do you think they go to first?” she said. “Who are the ones providing emotional support and referring them to different resources? If you thought school counselors – you are right.”
The expected teacher and counselor cuts also come after a county report released at the end of last year found an increase in the hospitalization rate for substance abuse and serious mental illness in kids and teens.
[Read: Thousands of OC Kids Struggle With Homelessness, Hunger and Mental Health Issues]
In response to the rise in mental health issues, the OC Health Care Agency recommended school districts prioritize the hiring of school counselors.
Some staff members lambasted board members for making what they called irresponsible decisions about the district’s finances and questioned why only certified employees were facing layoffs, not other staff like district managers and directors.
Many who spoke wore Santa Ana Educators’ Association union shirts and some carried signs that read “Our Students Deserve More, Not Less” and “351+ Layoffs Is The Unimaginable.”
District staff at the end of last year initially estimated roughly 350 staff members could face layoffs.
Sonta Garner-Marcelo, president of the Santa Ana Educators’ Association, said that board members are considering mass layoffs without regards to the communities they serve.
“Teachers and educators are the community leaders. Taking away community leaders threatens the entire community. The ripple effects of this unnecessary decision are huge,” she said.
Representatives from Congressman Lou Correa’s office and State Assemblyman Avelino Valencia also showed up to Tuesday’s meeting urging board members to protect educators’ jobs.
“As your assembly member,” said a field representative on behalf of Valencia. “I recognize the fiscal challenges you face, but these decisions should not sacrifice the quality of education or the community’s needs.”
Students and alumni also spoke out Tuesday against board members laying off their teachers and school counselors, arguing they are vital to their success in the classroom and in life.
Deborah Zacharias Gamboa, a freshman at Valley High School, said student voices in decision-making matters, especially when they’re being directly affected.
“I think it’s very important because you get the perspective from a student and how they see things, because it’s not also about their jobs,” she said in an interview. “I think that also our voices are meant to be heard, because we’re the ones who are there. We’re the ones who these changes impact our lives and how it’s all managed.”
Segerstrom High School Alumna Sophia Vazquez said the teachers and counselors in the district are more than just educators for her.
“They were mentors, role models, and at times, a lifeline,” she said. “The counselors didn’t just review my grades, they helped me navigate the challenges of growing up, pursue opportunities I never imagined possible, and allowed me to believe in myself.”
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.