Coachella Valley Unified School District teachers in limbo as May layoff deadline approaches

120 Coachella Valley Unified School District employees are faced with uncertainty about their employment next year after they received layoff notices earlier this month.

The Reductions in Force (RIFs) process is based on seniority, with newer employees set to be impacted rather than those who have worked with the district for a longer period of time. Three categories of personnel are exempt from layoffs, including those in the District Dual Immersion Program, Special Education, and Transitional Kindergarten (TK).

"There's no saying how long it's going to be before they get called back and I happen to know that Pals Springs and Desert Sands are both hiring," according to Carissa Carrera, President of Coachella Valley Teachers Association.

Carrera said she is already of aware of some teachers planning to take jobs in other school districts even before a final decision on the CVUSD layoffs is made.

"It's unfortunate because we have a way higher turnover of staff over here than the other two districts do," Carrera added.

Watch News Channel 3 at 6:00 p.m. tonight for the full report.