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Classified staff, union representatives urge board to rescind layoffs, warn of service impacts
Summary
Dozens of classified employees, union leaders and parents told the Escondido Union High School District board that proposed layoffs would harm student services. Speakers cited overtime totals, contractor spending, and legal concerns about outsourcing to argue the cuts are unjustified.
Dozens of classified employees, union representatives and parents urged the Escondido Union High School District Board of Education on April 21 to rescind pink slips and rethink proposed cuts to custodial, maintenance, interpreter and finance support positions.
"I respectfully ask that you rescind these unnecessary layoffs," said Rachel Macias of CSEA, Escondido chapter 219, at the microphone during the public‑comment period. Speakers supplied concrete figures to support their case: a district contractor for translator/interpreter work was paid $64,542.10 in 2024–25 and $35,815 so far this year; custodial staff logged 5,835 overtime hours from July through March; and one substitute technician worked more than 1,100 hours, the public commenters said.
Several speakers described operational consequences if positions are cut. Teresa Lopez, the district's finance support technician, said her role handles "over 1,000 employee reimbursements annually" and processes invoicing and accounts receivable; she warned that eliminating the position would create immediate backlogs and delay payments to vendors and student activities. Maintenance and operations staff told the board they had logged more than 1,100 overtime hours since July and that reducing the team could increase safety risks and slow emergency responses.
Multiple commenters pressed the board on proposed cuts to interpreter and translator roles used in special education settings. Davinson Curtis, an Escondido High School teacher, said interpreters are needed weekly for IEP meetings and asked for a clear plan if the district proceeds without the positions: "If the plan is to simply have case managers cobble something together from other staff members who speak Spanish, I cannot stress enough what a farce that would be."
Board members acknowledged the concerns and said the matter is not on tonight's agenda; trustees asked staff to return with additional information and, where possible, a plan before the May meeting. The board noted that no one wants layoffs and that additional conversations with cabinet and staff would continue in the coming weeks.
