Community rallies as CVUSD faces tough decisions on staff layoffs

Teachers, school nurses, parents, students and community members filled the room at the Coachella Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) meeting Thursday night, voicing concerns over a fiscal stabilization plan that includes laying off nearly 200 staff members.

Teresa Nicole, school nurse, shared her initial reaction when she learned about the proposed plan.

"Shock, disbelief," Nicole said. "They don't know what school nurses do."

The Coachella Valley Teachers Association (CVTA) has publicly criticized the district, arguing that the proposed cuts will harm students, particularly those with the most needs.

Carissa Carrera, CVTA President, spoke with News Channel 3's Shay Lawson about the situation.

"The school board that decided to publicly state multiple times on record that they wanted to continue programs that were being funded through COVID-19 money," Carrera said. "Now they're backtracking and trying to blame it on previous administration and people who made decisions without the authorization. When they themselves stood up there and said, we want to continue these programs. We're not letting these people off."

This topic will is scheduled to be included in the next school board meeting.

"I think that there's a reason for that," Carrera said. "Because it's too late to make any changes in decisions after that."

I-Team Investigator Jeff Stahl sat down with CVUSD Superintendent Dr. Francis Esparza asking the tough questions about these proposed cuts on Thursday.

Stay with News Channel 3 for the latest details on this developing story.