Fresno Unified workers, educators, and community members showed up in droves at the Wednesday night school board meeting to condemn proposed layoffs.

The Fresno Teachers Association led a protest outside management headquarters, and public comments against the decision lasted through the extended meeting.

“Your narrative cannot continue to be that ‘we are worried about equity. We are worried about student well-bring.’ But your cuts don’t show that same value,” parent Kristina Holmes-McIntyre told the board.

Trustees unanimously allowed the district to look at over 250 positions for layoffs, hour-reduction, and reorganization. Both student representatives to the board cast nonbinding nay votes.

The official list of layoffs will be presented at a March 25 meeting, district spokesperson AJ Kato said. Its unclear how many jobs will be axed, but $39 million in reductions are planned, according to a district statement.

“Nobody up here is wanting to make these decisions. We are in a  forced position given our decreasing enrollment, given our decrease in attendance. All of that translates to dollars,” Board President Veva Islas said. “We have been tapping into our reserve over the last two years to sustain positions. We are just no longer in a position where we can do that.”

District Faces $77 Million Budget Deficit

Fresno Unified is facing a $77 million budget deficit and a projected $59 million deficit the following year. This ballooned from previous predictions of a $50 million deficit over the next two years.

The increase is due to lower cost of living adjustments and a further decline in enrollment, Kato said. The district has lost about 1,200 students per year since the pandemic — equating to a $15 million loss each year.

The district must adjust its staff size to match the decreased student population, leaders say.

Those opposing the decision acknowledged budget constraints but believe cuts should be kept away from the classroom. Many felt this elimination would exacerbate enrollment issues.

But the district is “very well staffed and has a full support system for students in every area,” CFO Patrick Jensen said.

The district will provide a personalized list of other positions available to affected employees and expects that most will be repositioned.

Related Story: Fresno Unified Proposes 200 Layoffs to Address Budget Deficit

Speakers Tell Fresno Unified to Cut Elsewhere

The crowd, which was “here as family,” acknowledged the significant budget deficit plaguing the district but believe that money can be saved elsewhere.

“We have to pay rent. We have medical bills. We have to support our families. And they don’t think about that,” said Israel Gonzalez, a Spanish home liaison. “They have the power to change it.”

Trustee Andy Levine acknowledged this anxiety saying this is only the start of a process “to figure out how to mitigate the impact to our students and to the adults that run our system.”

The list of those on the chopping block includes credentialed, classified and management employees. In particular, school counselors, pre-school teachers, liaisons, campus safety assistants, and resource counseling assistants are facing the largest potential cuts.

“Our students rely on that resource to have counseling support on campus at all times,” said Ani Benson, a math teacher at Fulton, a school supporting kids with emotional disabilities. “Having (counselors) on campus helps reduce all those frequent hospitalizations, breakdowns. Students are able to learn life skills and how to regulate their emotional triggers.”

Speakers identified administration and consultant contracts as items to reduce.

FTA Criticizes Trustees and Questions Budget Concerns

Several individuals criticized trustees for approving a state-sanction raise for themselves. Five of the seven trustees have chosen to accept the pay bump — shifting $143,500 yearly from the education budget to trustee pay.

“The fact that the board trustees just gave themselves the 113% raise seems tone deaf,” said Manuel Bonilla, president of FTA. “There’s other ways to address any potential budget concerns. And so, it’s unfortunate that they would choose to do this, where these are going to be things that are going to negatively impact the students.”

The district has made a 17.8% reduction in district office leadership over the past three years, a previous Fresno Unified statement said. That percentage includes a $9 million reduction proposed for the 2026-27 school year.

But 350 “management, supervision, and confidential FTE” positions have been added since the 2020-21 school year, according to budget documents.

Additionally, the FTA said reserves exceed 10%, citing the unrestricted funds ending balance of $179 million. The district can allocate this money as it sees fit but isn’t putting it towards saving positions, Bonilla said.

However, district officials said the current reserve is actually 5.83%.

Board Policy 3110 mandates the reserve must stay within 5-10% despite the state minimum for a district FUSD’s size being 2%

“They are choosing to play semantics,” Bonilla said.

Layoffs are Latest Effort in Budget Battle

The district has attempted to offset costs through other means, including eliminating programs and prompting early retirements.

Earlier this year, Fresno Unified approved an early retirement incentive for 573 employees, saving roughly $56 million over the next five years.

But this too received backlash. The institutional knowledge of older employees cannot be replaced according to Christina Silva, vice president of California School Employees Association.

The incentive saved 324 positions from being axed but addressed less than half of the fiscal reduction needed for the 2026-27 school year.

Related Story: Fresno Unified Approves Retirement Incentive. It Saves $56 Million as 573 Leave ...