The Rincon Valley Union School District is facing severe budget constraints, forcing drastic cuts. The Board of Trustees voted this week to lay off the equivalent of 65 full-time employees at the end of the school year.
The layoffs will impact teachers’ aides, multilingual advocates, nurses, music teachers, counselors, and will halve library clerk hours. These personnel cuts, along with reductions in overtime, committees, utilities, supplies, and food costs, aim to save at least $4.5 million.
Cuts also include significant reductions in district office staff, including the elimination of a deputy superintendent and the director of student services. The district’s four-member “Behavior Team,” which supports students with behavioral challenges and trains staff, will be replaced by a single board-certified behavioral analyst, a move that has raised concerns among staff.
During public comment, employees expressed worries about the impact of the cuts on students, particularly the most vulnerable. The board voted 4-0 to approve the layoffs.
