SLO County school district cuts 14 jobs — but they may not be gone for good
Fourteen jobs will be eliminated in the Lucia Mar Unified School District, school board trustees decided Tuesday night.
But unlike the controversial layoff decisions plaguing other districts in San Luis Obispo County, Lucia Mar leaders described Tuesday’s cuts as routine — and said the jobs could be restored by fall.
The vote received no pushback from the audience or board members.
Here’s what Lucia Mar parents need to know about the cuts:
Cuts affect student support positions in classrooms
The approved cuts will eliminate 14 classified jobs, including:
- Eleven classroom support instructional assistants
- One bilingual instructional assistant, and
- Two student support advocates
The bilingual assistant served in that position for around 1 hour per day, while other classroom support roles ranged from less than an hour to eight-hour days.
According to assistant superintendent of human resources Jennifer Handy, similar layoffs take place every year. This year, the positions to be cut include jobs funded by one-time funds and discretionary funds at specific school sites.
The cuts are not due to any significant budgetary concerns in the district, superintendent Paul Fawcett said during the meeting.
And the affected employees have a good chance of being rehired by the district as officials learn more about their budgets throughout the coming months — last year, all of the employees who were laid off in the spring were rehired by the district in the fall, reported Handy.
“We would anticipate that’s likely to happen again,” Handy said.
Tuesday’s cuts were approved in a 7-0 vote.
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