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Vallejo school board approves large classified and certificated staffing cuts amid $30M shortfall
Summary
The Vallejo City Unified School District board voted to approve resolutions cutting 147.4 classified FTE and additional certificated reductions after public testimony from dozens of employees and unions; trustees said the reductions were necessary to avert reinstatement to state receivership.
The Vallejo City Unified School District governing board on Tuesday voted to adopt a package of resolutions authorizing large reductions in classified and certificated positions for the 2026–27 school year, prompting emotional public comment from affected employees and union representatives.
Staff presented Resolution 5111 and related certificated reductions as part of a multi‑year plan intended to close a roughly $30 million budget gap. The classified reductions total 147.4 full‑time‑equivalent positions, and the certificated reductions cited in related resolutions total about 80.7 FTE.
Dozens of classified employees, CSEA leaders and other speakers urged the board to reconsider. “Why are we spending money to write new job descriptions when we’re closing schools and laying off employees?” community member and retired classified employee Mary Crane Morrow said, noting an earlier agenda item to contract for job‑description work and a $50,000 community poll approved at a prior meeting.
Union leaders argued the cuts fall disproportionately on classified staff and warned of legal pushback. “When classified positions are eliminated, students lose services that are immediate and real,” said the president of the Vallejo Chapter CSEA, who noted petition signatures and asked for more transparency and collaboration.
Board members acknowledged the human cost but said the district faces limited choices. “If we don’t make cuts, they’re going to step in again and take over,” Trustee Young said, referring to state oversight during prior receivership. Trustee Fox described the decision as painful but necessary to align staffing with current enrollment, which trustees said has declined from about 12,000 students historically to roughly 9,000 today.
Staff emphasized that the August–April timeline will allow additional refinement. The superintendent’s office told the board the final layoff list will be brought forward in April and that statutory notice deadlines require an initial determination now to meet March 15 timelines.
The board took public comment during an extended community forum and then voted by roll call to adopt the reduction resolutions. The motion passed with five votes in favor; student trustees were absent for the votes.
Next steps: staff will finalize notices per Education Code requirements, return to the board with additional details in April, and continue coordinating with bargaining units on implementation and required memoranda of understanding.
