Sacramento City Unified board approves preliminary layoffs list for TK–12 positions
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Summary
The board approved an amended resolution (No. 3,564) to issue preliminary layoff notices for selected TK–12 positions, with staff to send notices by March 15 and return with hearings and final decisions by May 15; several members voted reluctantly and asked for continued transparency and site-level detail.
The Sacramento City Unified School District board on Tuesday approved an amended resolution (No. 3,564) authorizing staff to issue preliminary layoff notices for selected TK–12 positions and to proceed with hearings and final notices on the district’s timeline.
Jake Hansen, the district’s director of human resources, told the board the moves are preliminary: preliminary notices will go out by March 15, employees who request hearings may appear before an administrative law judge, and final notices must be sent by May 15 if the reductions are upheld. Hansen said some listed changes are “position control cleanup” and reclassifications rather than a net loss of services, while other reductions reflect site-based decisions tied to local needs.
Board members pressed staff for clearer, site-level explanations of the proposed reductions. Member Ibarra, who pulled the items for further discussion, said she wanted this conversation publicly to avoid the mistakes she said occurred in last year’s process and to make sure decisions are transparent. Several members said vacancies caused by a hiring freeze explain part of the reductions but asked staff to provide more context on which programs or sites would be affected.
Public comment preceded the vote. Terrence Gladney urged the board not to cut a grant-funded community school specialist position tied to Fern Bacon, arguing the role is important for community outreach even if the site is temporarily closed.
Member Kiata moved the resolution; the motion was seconded and passed with multiple members voting yes. Members expressed reluctance but said they wanted staff to continue studying options and return with more detail during the preliminary-notice period. The board emphasized that the preliminary notices are part of a multi-step process and that the list could change during hearings or as new information emerges.
The board will receive further information at the March 5 meeting and during the two-month preliminary-notice window before any final actions in May.
