A fiscal crisis is forcing more painful changes in Santa Rosa’s Rincon Valley Union School District. Just weeks after voting to close its oldest campus, district leaders are set to approve dozens of staff layoffs tonight.
The Press Democrat reports the Board of Trustees is expected to authorize sixty layoffs at their Tuesday meeting, a move aimed at saving four million dollars. These cuts come as the district faces a staggering eight-and-a-half-million-dollar deficit—roughly eight percent of its total budget.
The layoffs will hit almost every level of operations, from administrators and counselors to special education assistants and custodial staff. Many of these positions are being eliminated due to the upcoming closure of Douglas Whited Elementary Charter School.
Interim Superintendent Mike Herfurth warns that without these drastic measures, the district’s reserves will run dry, risking a state takeover. This marks the second consecutive year of deep staff reductions for the thirty-two-hundred-student district.
