Fresno Unified is making reductions across the district, including hundreds of layoffs, to save $60 million and stay afloat amidst a massive budget deficit.

The final list of cut positions brought a fresh wave of outrage and disappointment from district educators, staff, and community members at Wednesday night’s School Board meeting.

The district has been battling budget deficits year after year due to declining student enrollment and lower average daily attendance. It is losing about $15 million annually because of the declines.

Currently, it is fending off a $77 million budget shortfall.

To stay afloat, leaders are making sweeping layoffs, reducing the total number of employees by 383.8 full-time equivalent positions. That figure includes the elimination of 183 retirement and vacant positions, according to district CFO Patrick Jensen.

The move will generate $60 million in savings, but only $39.8 million will be actual reductions, Jensen said. The rest will be directed to other initiatives to support students.

“We’re targeting about $25 million in reductions next year in order to completely close the structural deficit,” he told GV Wire. “We’re taking reductions and then we’re spending reserves. And so that’s how we’re closing the gap.”

FTA Says These Cuts Will Harm the District

The Fresno Teachers Association condemned the cuts at a news conference before the meeting, and folks subsequently filled the room to speak in opposition.

They argued that cutting staff and programs will lead to less support, staff burnout, and more students exiting the district.

“We continuously follow up to ensure students are successfully enrolled and actively attending,” said Diana Arenavas, a child welfare and attendance specialist. “These vital positions contribute to increase of the ADA and, in turn, support our declining budget.”

Fifteen child welfare and attendance specialist positions will be eliminated.

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Timeline of Layoffs

In the previous two board meetings, the governing board approved sending out layoff notices to over 270 employees.

The bumping and layoff process will begin in mid-May.

“That’s a seniority-based process, where the employee with the most seniority would either move into a role in the same classification, if they have more seniority than somebody else in that classification, and if they don’t, then they would be able to bump an individual with less seniority in that classification they held before,” human resources director David Chavez said at a previous meeting.

The bumping and layoff process stretches through June 30 and into July.

“Approximately 85% of our budget is spent on staffing, and so that’s where the majority of cuts are going to come. But at the same time, we’re looking to reduce contracts in other areas as well,” Jensen said.

The district is decreasing funds dedicated to services and supplies. For example, TK-6 enrichment trips will be eliminated, saving $2.2 million.

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Where is Fresno Unified Cutting?

While Fresno Unified is making reductions across the board, certain departments are being hit harder than others.

The areas taking the biggest blows are Prevention and Intervention, and School Safety and Security. Additionally, changes in school site staffing parameters are leading to the elimination of 136.5 FTE.

However, the district is also adding 79 FTE positions and shifting investments. Special education is getting the largest boost with an overall growth of 16 FTE.

Some positions, such as additional literacy interventionists, are being added to support the district’s new student outcomes-focused goals and guardrails, Jensen said.

“A lot of the other positions that you’ll see added aren’t necessarily adds,” he said. “A lot of those are positions that were downgraded in certain cases, as people vacated those positions. Then you’re also going to see certain positions where a number of those positions were reduced, and then only one brought back.”

Community and Labor Unions Want to Prevent Cuts to Classrooms

Union groups and speakers criticized “top-heavy” leadership, telling the district to make cuts away from the classroom.

“Cut from the top rather than the bottom,” Fresno High School teacher Marina Santos told the board. Her comment was met with thunderous applause from the crowd.

The FTA condemned recent central office appointments in a Facebook post.

“The district continues to argue that layoffs are necessary, and hundreds of school employees face uncertainty,” the post states. “Yet new central office leadership positions are still being announced.”

These roles are not new or extra positions; they are replacing retirees and support essential functions that keep schools running, district spokesperson AJ Kato said.

Fresno Unified has made a 15% reduction in district office leadership, meaning managers and above, over the past three years, Kato previously told GV Wire.

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

FTA and Fresno Unified Continue to Battle Over Reserves

Fresno Unified’s reserves have become a major point of contention between FTA and the district. District leadership took time last meeting to discuss claims being spread.

FTA asserts the reserve level is double what the district reports. The organization is citing the unrestricted funds ending balance of $179 million, of which $92 million has been placed in reserve.

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However, the rest of the money has been “committed” to multi-year plans or one-time payments, Kato previously told GV Wire.

This includes $20 million of a negotiated $30 million to be used at FTA’s discretion.

“There is less money than what is being foretold to be available,” said Board President Veva Islas. “That money that is available is very limited in terms of how it can be utilized and is not fully at our discretion to just arbitrarily decide how to spend it down. And there is $30 million though that was set aside for the teachers union that we would be happy to discuss.”