San Diego teachers brace for potential layoffs amid budget troubles, furloughs

Dozens of San Diego Unified employees have agreed to voluntary furloughs and teachers are bracing for potential layoffs as district officials try to tackle a massive budget deficit.

Board members on Feb. 13 unanimously approved furloughs for full-time employees, with nearly 50 employees participating so far. They also approved $1,000 incentives for more than 150 San Diego Unified employees who have provided the district with advance notice of their retirement in exchange. 

Both moves come as the district tries to balance its budget. It’s facing a projected $70 million deficit for the next school year and more cuts could be coming: San Diego Unified will soon give notice of whether it plans on issuing layoff notices, the top board member of the teachers union told inewsource in an email.

“Once we know if any layoffs are anticipated, we will be able to advocate for other options that are feasible,” said Kyle Weinberg, president of the San Diego Education Association. 

The incentive approved last week is meant to encourage employees eligible for retirement to give early notice as the district considers staffing numbers for next school year.

Employees who are eligible for retirement had until Jan. 15 to notify the district and receive a $1,000 payment in return. Roughly 3,700 district employees are eligible for retirement, district records show. 

Of the 163 employees who took up the offer, 116 are certificated employees, such as teachers and management, and 47 are classified employees who do not teach, district spokesperson Maureen Magee said. Eligible employees include those set to retire in June, or July for staff working summer school. 

“The incentive was designed to provide the district early notification from employees who were contemplating or had already decided to retire, but were not likely to submit their retirement paperwork until later in the Spring,” Magee said. 

There are no plans to provide another incentive during the 2023-24 school year, according to the district. 

The furloughs are voluntary and impact eligible 12-month employees, and come after the district reached agreements with several bargaining groups, including the Administrators Association of San Diego City Schools, Certificated and Classified Supervisors, and the Police Officers Association.

Furlough periods include the three days leading up to Thanksgiving break, seven days around winter break and five days during spring break. 

Eligible employees could choose to participate in up to all three furlough periods and will have their salary reduced based on those number of days.

The state’s COVID-19 pandemic recovery money has helped school districts stay afloat as student enrollment dips and more kids become chronically absent. But California is no longer holding school districts harmless: That means it isn’t providing funding based on student enrollment prior to the pandemic and is now considering current attendance numbers. 

Over the past decade, enrollment at San Diego Unified has declined by 14% — or 15,000 fewer students — and as a result has increased classroom sizes. 

Now, California is also facing a deficit ranging from $38 billion to as much as $68 billion, according to varying estimates, and schools are bracing for potentially less funding. Gov. Gavin Newsom hopes to largely protect school funding in next year’s budget by dipping into a rainy day fund. 

The district’s current operating budget is $1.1 billion. Even if it addresses next year’s budget shortfall, officials still project a $165 million deficit during the 2025-26 school year. The vast majority of the district’s unrestricted budget — 95% — is spent on employee salaries and benefits. 

District officials plan on addressing the shortfall through attrition, funding shifts and “prioritizing” school sites.