EDUCATORS ACROSS CALIFORNIA fought to defend their schools from attacks by school districts looking to balance their budgets on the backs of students, educators and our communities.

Almost 2,000 CTA members in 106 local associations statewide received layoff notices this spring — a massive increase from years prior, reminiscent of the widespread impacts of underfunding more than a decade ago. With the state facing a huge deficit, some school districts have already started cutting preliminarily, pivoting quickly from trying to fill a teacher shortage to laying off dedicated educators.

Educators impacted by these proposed cuts are organizing to fight back and defend each other and the schools their students deserve. In Anaheim, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Farmersville and Santa Barbara, educators are rising in their local unions together with their communities to reject these cuts, layoffs and a broken public school funding system that cyclically upends California school districts and provides our students with less than they deserve.

“This kind of organizing requires critical conversations at our worksites and in our union meetings — what are we willing to do to stop these layoffs,” CTA President David Goldberg said. “Quite simply: There is power in our union — in our connections and commitments to each other.”

SBTA educators speak out at a school board meeting.

SANTA BARBARA TEACHERS ASSOCIATION

Amid a lengthy and contentious bargain, SBTA members are fighting against layoffs and for the resources that Santa Barbara students need. SBTA has been organizing for months, holding rallies, a march and working to show the community the impact of Santa Barbara Unified’s decisions. In early May, on National Teachers Day, the school board voted unanimously to lay off four teachers and 11 education support professionals despite a record 81 public comments urging the school board not to do so.

“We are losing educators today,” SBTA president Hozby Galindo said. “We’re losing positions that positively impact our students and educators…. They play a critical role; I hope that you see that, because the rest of the community sees it.”

SBTA members and community held a “wake” before that fateful meeting, “in memory” of colleagues who would not be with them next year due to layoffs. Educators and supporters filled the board room and overflow room, which has become a common occurrence recently. Families and businesses in the Santa Barbara community have shown up to fight alongside educators for their public schools, and signs of support for SBTA and teachers have popped up all over the city.

Follow SBTA’s fight for the schools Santa Barbara students and community deserve on Facebook at @MySBTA.

Just a few of the thousands of UTLA members rallying against #CarvalhoCuts.

UNITED TEACHERS LOS ANGELES

Thousands of UTLA members joined SEIU Local 99 members for
a massive rally in early May outside Los Angeles Unified School
District (LAUSD) headquarters to demand Superintendent Alberto
Carvalho and the school board reverse $6.3 billion in cuts that will
have devastating impacts on students.

The #CarvalhoCuts will mean less time for students to meet with
school psychologists, school counselors and social workers; less
help in the classroom, especially for students with special needs;
fewer arts, dance, music and elective programs; reduced support
for the district’s Black Student Achievement Plan, English learner
programs and community schools; higher class sizes; and less staff
to keep schools safe and clean.

Carvalho’s budget cuts mean schools across Los Angeles will
lose people who support students, campus safety and educational
instruction, including campus aides, class size reduction teachers,
library aides, art and music teachers, school nurses and custodians,
among others. Special education teacher Tamara Wall says they
are losing their full-time school psychologist to having one only two
days a week.

“When we have a student who’s in crisis, it’s our school psychologist who is there to support the student and the administrators and
the teacher,” says Wall, a UTLA member. “It’s definitely going to hurt all around not to have that support every day.”

Thousands flooded the streets surrounding the district office in
a sea of UTLA red and SEIU purple, banging drums and chanting
to let the superintendent and school board know the community is
ready to fight for the schools L.A. students deserve.

“We’re sending a clear, unified message to the superintendent and the school board that these deep cuts are unfair and unjust,” high school teacher and UTLA member William Chavez told EdSource.

Stay current on the ongoing situation in Los Angeles and find out
how to support at utla.net.

FTA members fight for a new contract and to rescind layoffs.

FARMERSVILLE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION

FTA members had a very busy spring, fighting back against layoffs and winning a contract after voting to authorize a strike. FTA organized and mobilized for the resources needed to recruit and retain educators, building a community movement for the schools students deserve in Farmersville, in Tulare County.

“We are overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from the community of Farmersville,” said FTA President Richard Dybas,
after FTA’s strike vote. “We appreciate the support of our teachers, parents, community and classified staff.”

The fight for a new contract was also a fight to rescind 11 certificated layoffs that were approved by the school board by a narrow 3–2 margin, despite FTA teachers and community rallying at the meeting to save the jobs. As of press time, FTA leaders are planning to take the issue directly to the Farmersville community and show them how the school district is cutting from the classroom instead of the district office — while some of the layoffs have been rescinded, there are still six positions being cut.

“Education is important, and we seem to be the only ones fighting for Farmersville students to get an education they deserve,” Dybas told the Visalia Times Delta.

SDEA organized and mobilized to beat back threatened layoffs.

SAN DIEGO EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

SDEA has been busy organizing and mobilizing to support the more than 200 educators who received layoff notices in early spring despite San Diego Unified having millions of dollars in reserves. SDEA members and supporters held a series of rallies calling on the district to rescind the misguided layoffs, packing school board meetings to support educators in peril and their students who will be adversely impacted.

These actions made a difference. In mid-May, the district rescinded 96% of the layoff notices after it struck a deal with SDEA to create “student support” jobs at high-needs schools, according to SDEA President Kyle Weinberg. The agreement helps preserve staffing stability within schools and keeps current pay levels for the student support teachers, he added.

The district said retirements, transfers and resignations also meant fewer layoffs were needed.

“These incredible gains were not possible without our collective actions,” Weinberg wrote in a message to union members.

SDEA continues its fight for every impacted member, building a movement in San Diego for the learning conditions all students need and the stability all educators deserve. Stay up to date at sdea.net or on Facebook at @SanDiegoEducationAssociation.

UESF members on the line.

UNITED EDUCATORS OF SAN FRANCISCO

UESF members are fighting back against cuts and layoffs that will hurt their students and communities, as San Francisco Unified officials try to close a financial gap at the expense of their dedicated certificated and classified staff.

In March, 134 certificated UESF members and 102 UESF education support professional members received layoff notices. UESF members mobilized, rallying to support each other and their students — winning a recission of all certificated layoffs in mid-May. ESP layoffs were also rescinded and consolidated into open positions, pending approval from a state-appointed fiscal
oversight adviser.

UESF organized to fight against the layoffs, as well as against
potential school closures the district floated to address their financial concerns despite the impacts on students and communities.

UESF leaders point to a bloated district administration that needs cutting to preserve the people and services who directly support students. Members rallied in late April in support of special education learning and working conditions.

“We pressured the district and made the board of education and community aware of our concerns about starting the next school year fully staffed,” says UESF President Cassondra Curiel.

Curiel said there were numerous classroom teacher vacancies
when school started last year, explaining that UESF expects similar vacancies to start next school year — in excess of the number of layoff notices issued.

“We worked with management to create an extended voluntary
reassignment process for all of the projected openings and have placed all certificated members at school sites for next school year,” she says. “This effort gets us closer to fully staffed schools on the first day of school, which has been a major priority for UESF members.”

ASTA members set up empty chairs to show the impact of losing educators.

ANAHEIM SECONDARY TEACHERS ASSOCIATION

ASTA members scored a huge victory in early May when the school board rescinded its decision to lay off 119 dedicated educators. ASTA members had held a series of rallies over the past months in collaboration with their community to issue a collective message to the school district that layoffs were not acceptable.

“We share in the joy and relief that many of our members feel knowing that our colleagues will be returning for the 2024–25 school year,” said ASTA President Geoff Morganstern. “It’s also incredibly important to recognize all the students, parents and community members who joined the conversation. Many stood with us on the rally line while others helped to keep both sides talking during these difficult times.”

ASTA’s series of morning rallies at schools throughout Anaheim Union High School District built a movement to reverse the school board-approved layoffs of a whopping 10% of their teachers. School district administrators issued Reduction in Force (RIF) notices to more than 250 educators, threatening their livelihoods just as they reached the homestretch of the school year.

ASTA members mobilized to defend Anaheim public schools, showing the impact of the layoffs, including larger class sizes, losing dedicated teachers that students know and trust, and a loud message to educators who might come to Anaheim that they should look elsewhere. In a special board meeting, the district rescinded the layoffs and said it will look at other budget items to make cuts (in addition to savings from attrition). Morganstern said there will be challenges and difficult decisions ahead, adding that ASTA is ready to work collaboratively and transparently with the district and community to determine the best path forward.

“We will reflect on lessons learned and continue to advocate for the well-being of our students and members,” he said.

Community members are clearly supportive, in no small part due to their ongoing involvement with Anaheim community schools. “The groundswell of support and activism from our students, families and community organizations on behalf of our teachers and ASTA’s organizing efforts against the layoffs is testament to our years of work with our education partners to build community schools,” said ASTA Executive Director Lisa Eck.

What if I receive a layoff notice?

CTA has resources to support educators who receive layoff notices, including important instructions for members
who are laid off and a layoff survival guide. Go to bit.ly/CTAlayoffs_resources to learn more.