San Diego County schools to cut jobs as plummeting student enrollment batters budgets

It’s that time of the year again — San Diego County schools’ money problems are back on the front burner.

School districts, many of them spending more money than they’re taking in, are reviewing their numbers to see if they’re on track to meet their financial obligations or need to make cuts and adjustments as they prepare next year’s budget. This is typically when schools start discussing layoff notices, if needed. 

As the decline in student enrollment continues to take a toll on school budgets, hundreds of roles are on the chopping block and more districts are looking to consolidate. 

That’s particularly true in the South Bay, both for districts that have already been grappling with fewer students and for those that had yet to feel the pain.

More than a hundred roles are set to be eliminated at Chula Vista Elementary — the largest elementary-only district in the state — including the principal position for its special education program known as ASPIRE. Next year, the county Office of Education will assume responsibility for the program, with no interruptions to service expected for kids. 

The district had historically been immune to significant enrollment declines, even building new campuses as Chula Vista saw rapid housing development in its eastern parts.

In San Ysidro, the school board decided to consolidate its preschool program to help stabilize enrollment. Officials will move the program at Smythe Elementary to modernize classrooms at La Mirada Elementary to integrate preschool and transitional kindergarten, a district spokesperson told inewsource. 

But perhaps no other district in the county has felt the pressure of losing students more than South Bay Union in Imperial Beach.

With roughly half the students it had a decade ago — the biggest decline of all area districts — the board voted to reduce the district’s budget by about $2 million each year through the 2028-29 school year to meet financial obligations and avoid outside interventions from the county and state.

The district already plans to close three of its campuses. Up first: Central Elementary, which will shutter at the end of this school year. 

This year, South Bay Union’s operating budget is about $115 million and it faces a $27 million shortfall, according to a December financial report. Those records also show a $8 million gap projected for each of the following two years.

The district voted to eliminate roughly 35 certificated and 22 classified positions, among them teachers, bus drivers, librarians, health professionals and more. 

Also included in the cuts are community coordinators who have brought events and resources to students, including a partnership with Feeding San Diego across several schools.

About 20 of the roles are vacant. The rest are not. Dozens of staff at the district will receive a layoff notice within the next few weeks. 

“The loss of those positions will cripple classrooms and impact students,” Michelle Gates, a teacher at the district’s Imperial Beach Charter School, said during a board meeting earlier this month. 

Martha Rodriguez, a librarian technician at Pence Elementary, said the roles get eliminated but the job responsibilities do not. Teachers at districts where library positions have been eliminated lose critical instructional support, she said, and students also struggle to get help with technology or devices and lack basic research skills.

“This is not just a staffing issue. It is about ensuring that every student has equitable access,” Rodriguez told board members.

District officials say they’ve taken measures to reduce rising operational costs by keeping vacant positions unfilled or eliminating them, and offering an early retirement incentive a few years back. That’s now expected to provide an estimated annual savings of about $2 million. 

But as of now, the budget doesn’t include the financial impact of a tentative contract approved for South Bay Union teachers who were on the brink of a strike after nearly two years of tense negotiations. 

If formally approved, teachers could receive more money, including what amounts to a 6% pay bump. The contract would also reduce the number of students in kindergarten-through-third-grade combination classes and special education and provide teachers with additional support. 

District officials previously said a pay increase and additional support wasn’t financially feasible and that they need to be conservative with reserves.

Experts expect enrollment numbers across much of the U.S. to worsen in the coming years, which means fewer dollars for schools since funding for public education is tied to student attendance in California. High housing costs, lower birth rates, migration pattern changes and an increased interest in alternative education are among some of the contributing factors.

At San Diego Unified, California’s second-largest school district, nearly half of its 77 schools are operating at less than 70% of the capacity for students, Voice of San Diego reported. A third are below 60% and roughly 16% — or 27 campuses — are less than half-full. 

Campuses with the lowest capacity were clustered in southeastern San Diego and Clairemont neighborhoods.

School districts are required to provide staff with notice that they may plan on letting them go by mid-March, per state education law. Layoff notices can be rescinded by May 15, when the district will need to provide a final decision.