CVUSD Board Approves Eliminating 141 Teacher Positions

School board members for the Coachella Valley Unified School District approved the termination of 141 certified teachers on Thursday night as the district braces for a massive budget shortfall.

Lawmakers in Sacramento are grappling with how to shore up a $7.7 million budget gap, and education is one item on the chopping block if tax extensions are not renewed, according to the governor’s office.

Seventy elementary school teachers are included in the CVUSD layoffs. Thirteen administrators will be reassigned or terminated, as well.

CVUSD is projecting a $650 cut in state funding per student. The school district is looking at an $18 million deficit over the next 3 years that could grow if adequate state funding isn’t provided.

Administrators said the only hope in saving jobs and keeping class sizes small is the tax extension approval or early retirement for eligible teachers.