Sacramento City Unified votes to eliminate more than 400 jobs to help solve budget crisis

The Abridged version:

• Sacramento City Unified plans to eliminate more than 400 jobs, including those held by teachers and administrators, leaders decided Thursday.
• The district is anticipating a budget deficit of more than $100 million at the end of the school year. Officials say they have so far identified about $43 million in savings and are continuing to look for cost-cutters — including staff reductions.
• About 120 of the jobs to be eliminated are currently vacant. Employees in the remaining roles may be moved into another role in the district or receive a layoff notice later this spring.

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Sacramento City Unified School District trustees voted Thursday to eliminate more than 400 positions across the district at the end of this school year.

The decision during a special school board meeting came as the district anticipates a budget deficit of about $113 million by summer. Staff have so far identified about $43 million in savings but are continuing to search for ways to lower expenses.

That includes upcoming layoffs.

The district routinely evaluates staffing needs based on enrollment. As Sacramento City Unified’s student population shrinks each year, reductions ensue, budget deficit or not.

But board members Thursday focused on their urgent need to cut costs, as they moved to eliminate roles held by teachers, aides and others.

“These aren’t easy cuts. Nothing that we’ve been doing and that we will keep doing is easy,” said Trustee Taylor Kayatta. “But the cuts we’re making are necessary.”

Cuts touch multiple departments

Approximately 423 positions are due to be eliminated.

Among those on the list are career technical education teachers, special education aides, a custodian and a budget analyst. About 90 are currently held by teachers at TK-12 schools or in adult education. The vast majority of positions to be eliminated are non-teaching staff, such as nutrition services employees or custodians.

The district employees about 4,500 people, according to their human resources website.

District staff came into the evening proposing a slightly higher number of cuts.

The school board opted to delay action on about 45 positions from the original list of 460 jobs to be eliminated and decide on those at next week’s meeting when the full board is present. Only four out of seven trustees were present Thursday. The tabled actions focused on school counselors and social workers.

Final layoff notices come later

Thursday’s meeting was the first step in a months-long process. Any employee ultimately facing termination will receive a preliminary notification in March and a final notice in May.

However, staff and officials made clear they do not anticipate 423 layoffs.

For starters, about 120 of the positions on the chopping block currently sit vacant.

In others, the terminated employee may have an opportunity to move to a different position in the district.

Nikki Milevsky, president of the Sacramento City Teachers Association, said she wished that staff had made that clearer when drafting the list of positions being closed.

“Basically, this list needs a lot of clean up before we see what might actually impact students,” Milevsky said.

“This is going to cause a lot of anxiety for people,” she added.

Savannah Kuchar is a reporter covering education. She came to Sacramento to be a part of the Abridged team and contribute to a crucial local news source.