CVUSD teachers share their fate after district layoffs finalized

THERMAL, Calif. (KESQ) -- A months-long, mass layoff process at Coachella Valley Unified School District is coming to a head Thursday, the deadline for finalizing layoff notices.

News Channel 3 has followed this story since the beginning, when it was revealed CVUSD was facing a more than $50 million budget deficit.

The district has authorized 300 staff members to be laid off, including 44 teachers and 252 classified staff.

CVUSD has stood behind the layoffs, saying the district is overstaffed due to pandemic funds they used to hire on more people. Now, they say they have a surplus of employees they can't afford to keep.

In March, News Channel 3's Athena Jreij spoke with the Coachella Valley Teacher's Association, after more than 900 Reduction In Force (or RIF) notices were sent out by CVUSD.

This evening, News Channel 3 speaks with several teachers impacted by layoffs and how they think this could hurt students.