Ventura Unified board approves amended staff‑reduction resolution after hours of public outcry; librarians and counselors removed from cuts

Ventura Unified School District trustees on Tuesday approved an amended resolution to pursue certificated staffing reductions tied to a multi‑year budget shortfall, but removed teacher‑librarians and counselors from the list of positions slated for elimination after sustained public opposition.

The board's action followed a staff presentation describing budget projections that, staff said, require the district to target about $8.7 million in reductions. Staff reiterated that several positions under consideration had been funded in recent years by one‑time grants and learning‑recovery funds. "The key assumption was that positions associated with one‑time funds were not budgeted to continue," a staff presenter told the board during the financial briefing.

The meeting drew an unusually large public turnout: the board noted about 349 people in the room and several hundred online. Parents, students, teachers and union leaders urged trustees to preserve school counselors, bilingual paraeducators and teacher‑librarians. "Counselors are the unsung heroes in our schools," one parent told the board during public comment. Elementary counselors and site staff also supplied service data: "We have logged a total of 16,550 visits," Matthew Williamson, an elementary counselor, said, listing classroom lessons, small groups and suicide‑risk assessments his team delivered this year.

Board members acknowledged the financial pressure but said they would not accept cuts they believed would directly harm students. Trustees moved to strike three categories from Exhibit A of Resolution 25‑3: elementary counseling positions, secondary counseling positions and teacher‑librarians. The amended resolution passed on a unanimous 5–0 vote.

President Calvin Peterson, who managed an extended public‑comment period, said the board would continue to seek alternatives and scheduled follow‑up study sessions. "We want to hear what the community has to say," he said when explaining how the board organized public comment that evening.

Staff and union leaders told the board they support continued collaboration to find savings that do not reduce student‑facing services. Speakers and trustees suggested alternatives such as delaying certain capital expenditures, examining administrative staffing and using allowable Measure E capital funds where appropriate. The board also asked staff to return with additional options and said it would hold a CSBA‑facilitated study session in early April to evaluate longer‑term structural solutions.

What the vote means: The approved, amended resolution keeps the district on the legally required path for notifying employees and managing certificated reductions while removing the specified counselor and teacher‑librarian positions from the immediate reduction list. The board's vote does not by itself end the district's budget gap; trustees directed staff to continue identifying reductions and alternatives and to report back.

Votes at a glance - Resolution 25‑3 (certificated reductions), as amended to remove elementary counselors, secondary counselors and teacher‑librarians from Exhibit A: approved 5–0. - Other routine actions (consent items) related to the district budget and operations: approved (roll calls recorded in minutes).

Next steps: Staff will return with revised lists and financial scenarios; the board scheduled additional study sessions and asked staff to pursue community alternatives for savings. The superintendent said the district will continue to staff schools based on enrollment changes and legal HR requirements.

(Reporting details: staff presentation and budget figures were presented by district staff; public comments and quoted figures are drawn from speaker remarks during the public‑comment period.)