Coronado Unified School District trustees finalized their decision on staffing cuts this week, and by May 15, will notify eight employees that their jobs have been terminated.
The cutbacks, prompted by a budget shortfall, will affect two program specialists, one reading specialist, one mental health clinician, one clinical counselor, one school counselor, one spanish teacher and one maintenance worker.
“The staff has done everything they can to identify saving and cost-cutting measures and wherever we can scrape together the funding to keep the vital services that our community needs,” Trustee Whitney Antrim said at a special board meeting on May 1. “So while I will vote to support all three of these action items, I do it with a heavy heart, a reservation, and an understanding and a belief that this should not affect our kids directly.”
These layoffs follow state officials announcing in December that California is facing a $68 billion deficit. Consequently, the school district needs to tighten its budget for the 2024-2025 school year for what administrators identified as a $2.3 million deficit.
According to the district Public Information Officer, Maria Simon, if over the summer something changes in the budget and the schools decide to re-fill positions, they can. However, the current layoffs have been finalized.
At the special board meeting, Antrim acknowledged many parents have asked considering the fact that the cutbacks will impact students who benefit from mental health resources:
“If a student is in distress and they need some type of support, need a trusted adult to talk to, what is the timeline for that student to make sure they get spoken to?”
Antrim’s answer: “I am assured that we will still be able to have somebody check in on them that same day on all four campuses.”
