Coachella Valley Unified board approves staff reductions amid protests from employees and parents
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Summary
The Coachella Valley Unified board approved two resolutions cutting classified and certificated positions over staff shortages and budget shortfalls; employees and parents pressed the board for alternatives and clearer enrollment- and safety-focused plans.
The Coachella Valley Unified board voted to approve two resolutions authorizing reductions in classified and certificated staffing, passing both measures by 5–2 votes after more than a dozen public comments from employees and parents.
Trustee Gonzales moved to accept staff’s recommendation on Resolution 2026-28, which the agenda described as a “reduction or discontinuance of certain classified and classified management due to lack of funds,” and Trustee Calimanas seconded the motion. The board approved the resolution by roll call, with five members voting in favor and two opposed. The board later approved Resolution 2026-32, a related certificated reduction and tie-breaking protocol, on a similar 5–2 vote.
Why it matters: District leaders and staff said the steps are required to stabilize finances after declining enrollment, but employees and community members said repeated annual layoffs are harming students and school operations. "The work is there," said Fabian Rosales, a 21-year fiscal services technician, arguing that eliminating the fiscal-services classification while leaving the work unassigned undermines job descriptions and fairness. "Eliminating the position specifically designed to perform this work while allowing the same work to continue under a different classification undermines the integrity of our job description," he said.
Multiple speakers at the meeting pressed the board to pursue alternatives to layoffs. "Somehow, there is always money for more administrators, but not enough to keep the people who actually keep our schools running," said Billy Franco, a classified employee who described losing hours and, as a result, housing stability. "Since Thanksgiving break, I have been homeless," Franco said, urging the board to cut at higher management levels rather than frontline positions.
Union leaders also described operational strains. Veronica Duenas of CSCA described custodial and grounds staffing cutbacks that left some sites with what she termed a "skeleton crew," citing Toro Canyon as an example with three office staff for more than 940 students. "You are hurting the students because there's not enough staff to support," Duenas said.
Trustees who voted for the measures framed them as a painful but necessary step. A board member speaking before the vote said the action was required "by the county, by the state" to stabilize the district. Trustee Vargas and Trustee Acuna registered no votes on the resolutions and said they wanted more discussion about alternatives and contracted services prior to adoption.
What’s next: The resolutions authorize staff to implement the staffing changes described in the board documents; the meeting record did not specify exact effective dates for individual layoffs. The board approved a personnel amendment to the consent calendar during the same meeting and adjourned at 5:37 p.m.
Details to note: The public record includes multiple requests from the Coachella Valley teachers' association and classified unions for a clear enrollment-stabilization plan, alternatives such as attrition management or incentives, and more transparent communication about the district’s multi-year budget assumptions. Speakers asked the board to pair any staffing reductions with a measurable plan to retain students and track progress.
The board’s actions were procedural votes taken in open session after public comment; no formal settlement or implementation timeline was announced at the meeting.
