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Pajaro Valley Unified trustees face public outcry as budget cuts, layoffs and staffing decisions loom
Summary
Trustees heard hours of public comment Wednesday on proposed staff cuts and schedule changes as teachers, students and unions warned that nine teacher layoffs and other reductions would force schedule changes and cut courses including health and arts. The board later reported multiple personnel actions from closed session, with several resolutions adopted 6–1.
Trustees of the Pajaro Valley Unified School District heard extensive public testimony Wednesday about proposed layoffs and other budget actions as district leaders try to close a large funding gap.
Dozens of teachers, students, union leaders and community members told the board the proposed reductions would deeply affect course offerings and student supports. "Losing nine of our 51 teachers will leave our site severely understaffed," said Jesse Sherwood, a science teacher at Aptos High, describing a likely loss of the school’s seven‑period bell schedule and the ripple effects on elective and support classes. Students and staff warned the cuts could eliminate required health classes and shrink VAPA and CTE opportunities.
Community speakers framed the district’s finances as urgent. A member of the public who analyzed interim reports told trustees the district faces what he described as a "$70,000,000 problem per year," citing enrollment declines and increased staffing costs; the district and public commenters disagreed on the precise figures but agreed the shortfall is large.
Union representatives pressed for full bargaining information and criticized the timing and transparency of layoff planning. "We must find a better way to elevate voices from this community," said a PVFT representative who urged the board to allow more public testimony and to collaborate with labor on alternatives.
District staff and trustees repeatedly framed the decisions as difficult. The superintendent and cabinet emphasized that some steps — including changes to schedules and staffing formulas — are complex and negotiated matters, and said the district is still studying options and seeking outside help to model impacts. District staff told the board that some deferred grant‑funded programs, such as a Career Ladders Project to expand dual‑enrollment CTE courses, would not draw on the general fund and would not change the layoff calculations.
In closed session the board reported multiple personnel actions. The board approved certificated personnel actions and classified personnel actions and adopted resolutions related to release, reassignment or nonreelection of certain probationary certificated and certificated management employees. The record shows those resolutions were adopted by recorded votes described in the meeting (a number of motions reported as adopted 6–1, with Trustee Gabriel Medina recorded as the lone no vote on at least one resolution).
What happens next: trustees said they will continue planning and negotiations with labor partners, and the district will present additional analysis at upcoming meetings. The board also approved several consent and deferred items Wednesday, including a grant statement of work to expand dual‑enrollment CTE courses and a memorandum of understanding with a neighboring district to provide driver‑training instructors.
Trustees acknowledged the emotion and stakes. "We owe it to our students and our community to get this right," one trustee said. The board will consider additional staffing and budget decisions at future meetings; some formal actions and notices tied to layoffs will follow the district’s timeline and applicable education code procedures.
