School Board to Consider More Than 80 Layoffs Wednesday as Termination Notices Go Out

The Monrovia Unified School District is bracing for coming budget cuts by issuing layoff notices to more than 80 employees this week as the district prepares to finalize its list of terminations by March 15.

The school board will consider a resolution Wednesday that calls for the termination of 87 employees, including dozens of full-time teachers.

The district must take action on the layoffs next month, though the final number of terminations could change as funding numbers fluctuate, MUSD Superintendent Linda Wagner said.

"We have a number of funding sources that are uncertain," Wagner said. "Because funding has been unstable we're doing some notifications simply because we need to be cautious."

Wagner said the district's funding situation is fluid and stressed that many of the employees who receive layoff notices could wind up being retained or given their jobs back at a later date.

"There are a number of categories in which the layoffs this time around are cautionary," she said. "We're noticing to the extent to which we think its possible."

The terminations represent the equivalent of more than 50 full time positions and are largely targeted at the district's vocational, regional occupational program (ROP) and preschool programs. Two elementary classroom teachers, one high school English teacher, one high school social science teacher and 10 school counselor positions are also in peril.

The most definitive positions to be cut are five elementary school counselor jobs, Wagner said. Those were paid for with grant funding that has dried up, she said.

Wagner said most employees on notice will have a clearer picture about their job security by the end of the summer.

"We really don't know until Sacramento is certain," she said. "Most people will have a good sense by the end of the school year but we may still have questions by the end of the summer."

School Board President Bryan Wong said the district's funding situation for next year appears more dire than in years past.

"This round (of layoffs) is obviously more brutal than it's been in a while because of the instability of the state funding," Wong said. "It's a scary situation, the funding situations are just so bad."

The district has until March 15 to notify employees that they could be laid off. At that time, the final layoff numbers will be determined and those who are terminated will go through a formal termination review process, Wagner said.

Should additional funding become available at a later date, Wagner would go back to the board and they would decide which positions should be reinstated.

Wagner said the state's continued economic sluggishness is the main reason for the layoff considerations.

"Our funding is really dependent on the economy and when the economy is in bad shape, school funding is in bad shape," she said. "There's a direct correlation there."