CVUSD layoffs loom ahead

Some major changes loom over the Coachella Valley Unified School District.

“We are changing our program, we want students to have A through G so they are ready for college and we need to consolidate our high school schedules. That happens to be a part of our fiscal recovery plan,” Superintendent Darry Adams said.

Also a part of that recovery plan – more than 50 layoffs , which could save the school district $6.4 million.

“Is this the best option to lower spending, or could you possibly reduce salaries of administration or other positions?” we asked Dr. Adams. “No one has got a raise for a long time, so that’s difficult. We are over-staffed. You have to pay for what you have,” Dr. Adams said.

Right now, the Coachella Valley School District has a $10.7 million budget deficit that needs to be reduced in order to keep reserves at 3% of the operating budget.

The Office of the Riverside County Superintendent of Schools continues to work with the district to try and keep layoffs at a minimum – by having the district address other issues as well.

“We just addressed the expenditure side of it but they want to look at some other items and see us make changes. We have early retirement, we have COPs, loans we have to pay, so they want to see all of that be addressed,” Dr. Adams said.

Though the county wants to see changes made other than just layoffs, it gave us this statement: “A more comprehensive fiscal recovery plan would not necessarily result in a reduction in the number of certificated layoffs now under consideration.”

Whatever gets decided, Superintendent Adams said the district will try to layoff as few as possible.

“Where you may been laid-off as an English teacher you may be an English intervention teacher as there’s a new job description,” he said.

Dr. Adams said he hopes to get everything taken care of by June 30th. If the district opts to layoff teachers, it has until March 15th to notify them of their employment status.