CVUSD cuts may impact mental health services for students

Dozens of teachers and support staff in Coachella Valley Unified School District will be getting preliminary lay-off notices for next school year.

Many of the positions on the chopping block include school counselors, psychologists, special education teachers, and migrant services assistants.

Many teachers and staff were anticipating the cuts, but not these in these types of programs according to president of the Coachella Valley Teachers Association Carissa Carrera.

“If a kid’s mental health isn’t being addressed, they won’t be prepared in the classroom,” Carrera said. She said the lack of transparency in the types of programs and support staff being cut is concerning as well.

“A couple weeks ago, I probably would have said the transparency was pretty good, until I saw the list of what’s being cut.”

The Coachella Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees unanimously voted to lay off 81 employees at a meeting Thursday night.

The board cited declining attendance, an increase in pension cost, and the end of LCFF growth funding as the reasons for the cuts. CVUSD wrote in a letter to parents that the district needed to cut $8 million in the 2019-2020 budget year.

“Unfortunately, that is the situation we are in for different reasons, one of them being declining enrollment. the other one being the rising cost of pension and benefits,” said Silvia Paz, vice president of CVUSD Board of Trustees.

The board was 7-0 in favor of all motions, except for the layoff of classified management. That resolution still passed with a 6-1 vote.

Staff will receive their 60-notice on March 15.