Budget cuts could result in mass layoffs for VC teachers
By David Michael Courtland 02/05/2009
Ventura County school districts could face layoffs of nearly 1,000 teachers pending the outcome of resolving the budget deficit, Trudy Arriaga, the superintendent of Ventura city schools said Monday at a forum on homelessness.
“My point was that, as we were talking about homelessness, it’s only going to get worse,” Arriaga said on Tuesday.
“As we’re laying off more people, they aren’t going to be able to pay their mortgages,” Arriaga continued. “The issue is going to get worse if we don’t address the budget of the State of California.”
The estimate of nearly 1,000 prospective pink slips was given by Ventura County Superintendent Stan Mantooth at a meeting with other superintendents in January.
Oxnard Elementary school board member Denis O’Leary, who is also a Rio School District teacher, confirmed that teachers have heard about the projected layoffs.
O’Leary said he and other trustees, hoping to avoid ordering layoffs, are waiting anxiously for some indication from legislators in Sacramento whether it will be necessary.
“I’m sure every school district is doing the same,” said O’Leary. “You let professionals go, it’s hard to get them back.”
But faced with getting less money from the state when it finally passes a budget, there may not be any choice but to reduce payroll.
“Most everything that [can] be conceivably cut has been cut. I’m looking around and saying, where can we find more?” O’Leary said. “Sooner or later, it hits teachers and staff.”
But an Oxnard Union High School District trustee said she hasn’t heard anything about imminent layoffs and was skeptical there would be so many pink slips handed out.
“I know we’re (OUHSD) not laying off anybody,” said Socorro Lopez-Hanson. “I find it hard to believe we could be losing that many teachers countywide.”
Lopez-Hanson said Ventura County has about 6,300 teachers for about 141,000 students, adding that such a large round of layoffs would mean increasing class sizes.
O’Leary said that regardless of whether there are layoffs, he is frustrated with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s handling of the ongoing budget crisis and a proposed shorter school year.
“I think that’s an obscenity. Here’s the ‘education governor’ declaring a reduction of school days,” said O’Leary, adding that he has been writing to legislators and hopes others are as well.
“The next couple of weeks (of budget discussions) are going to be critical,” O’Leary said. “We’re working to save jobs; I hope there are some people working to save mine as well.”
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