Pajaro Valley Unified warns of staff cuts as one-time COVID funds expire; community urges preserving counselors and special-education staff

Pajaro Valley Unified School District officials told the governing board on Thursday that the district faces a multi‑year fiscal shortfall driven by expiring one‑time COVID relief and a steady drop in enrollment, and recommended staff reductions that would disproportionately affect counselors, behavior technicians and other student‑facing positions.

At a presentation of the district’s fiscal outlook, Assistant Superintendent Kit Bragg and Chief Business Officer Herardo Castillo said the district spent about $127.5 million in one‑time federal and state COVID funds over several years and now must “realign” services as that support sunsets. Bragg said the district is running a structural deficit: “We are in deficit spending and we continue to be in deficit spending,” and recommended a mix of personnel and program changes to reduce ongoing costs and meet state solvency tests.

Why it matters: Trustees and staff said the reductions are meant to prevent a longer‑term financial crisis that could lead to county oversight. But hundreds of teachers, parents, clinicians and students packed the chamber to say cutting counselors and special‑education staff would reduce services for students with the greatest needs and create safety risks.

What staff proposed: The administration identified categories for possible reductions, including up to 15 certificated counseling positions, several mental‑health clinician roles, 10 health‑care assistant positions and dozens of behavior technician and instructional‑aide positions that were added during the pandemic. Castillo told the board that some positions were funded or maintained with one‑time funds and that declining enrollment (about 4,000 fewer students compared with pre‑COVID) has driven the drop in ongoing revenue.

Community pushback: Speakers cited local incidents and the district’s special‑education caseload to argue the cuts would be harmful. Jessica Zovar, a Watsonville High School clinician, said school‑based mental‑health care "is connection, its visibility, and community care," and warned that outsourced providers would not replicate that on‑site presence. Parent Sha Ray described a child with complex needs who, she said, had missed speech therapy because of staffing gaps and could face greater danger if supports were reduced.

Labor and legal context: Union leaders disputed the district’s framing of which positions were “temporary” and urged trustees to pursue alternatives. The County Office of Education has warned the district that without additional reductions the district risks qualifying for county oversight, a step the board has sought to avoid.

Board next steps: Trustees agreed to continue dialogue with labor partners and scheduled a final list of recommendations for the December board meeting. Several trustees also asked staff to pursue every possible step to avoid layoffs — including recruitment from partner agencies, internal reassignments, retirement incentives and grant seeking — while asking for more transparency on restricted vs. unrestricted funding.

Notable quote: "We are in deficit spending and we continue to be in deficit spending," Kit Bragg said, framing the administration’s urgency to find recurring savings. Public commenters countered that "the people who show up every day for our kids" should be prioritized over administrative increases.

What’s next: The board asked staff to return with a final package in December and agreed to host additional community listening sessions in English and Spanish in early December to gather more input before any final votes.