Two weeks after approving over 20 layoff notices for teachers, the Temecula school board agreed Tuesday night, Feb. 24, to hand out notices to 12 non-teaching employees.
The Temecula Valley Unified School District board unanimously approved the layoff notices “due to lack of work and lack of funds” and the restructuring of two programs, a report to the board states.
RELATED: Temecula school board OKs over 20 layoff notices
Districts are required to send layoff notices by the state deadline of March 15. They can be rescinded before the state deadline of May 15.
Francisco Arce, assistant superintendent for human resources, said the district’s priority is to ensure students are supported and continue getting services despite any cuts.
In some cases, such as with special education students, staff reductions could be made because a student no longer needs an aide, Arce said. If this happens, the employee is often reassigned to another position, but the state requires the district to record that the position has been cut, he said.
“Very often we have open vacancies and it is likely the case they may end up working in a different capacity,” Arce said.
Under the potential cuts, the district would lose two secretaries, one from the Home Instead Innovation Academy, a transitional transitional kindergarten-eighth grade program; and an intake and compliance adviser from the academy; four instructional assistants; one behavioral health support aide; one educational interpreter aide; two autism behavior intervention assistants; and a coordinator in energy management.
Edgar Diaz, president of the Temecula Valley Educators Association, said the association would not support layoffs of any kinds, particularly those that would affect services to students.
“The district must exhaust every option to maintain vital resources for students,” Diaz said.
The Temecula school board on Tuesday, Feb. 10, approved layoff notices for 22 positions. Of those 22 positions, 18 are currently filled, Diaz has said.
Layoff notices approved at the last meeting will most affect the academy.
Ten teaching positions, from elementary to middle school, could be gone. If the layoffs go through, cuts to the academy would include a virtual specialized academic instruction teacher — an expert who provides personalized educational services online to students with disabilities — and a middle school counselor.
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