School board set to vote on specific cuts

SAN DIEGO (CNS) – The San Diego Unified School District Board of Education Thursday evening will consider giving layoff notices to more than 900 teachers and other employees with teaching credentials, along with classified staff workers.

By contract, the district is required to notify teachers of potential layoffs by March 15. Because the board is not likely to cut all the programs targeted for elimination, some of the instructors who receive notifications in the upcoming days will not lose their jobs.

The district has been fighting budget deficits for several years now in the face of reduced state funding, and has largely avoided teacher layoffs. However, district officials say 91 percent of the unrestricted general fund goes to personnel costs.

The district is proposing sending layoff notices to 461 elementary school teachers, and nearly 230 middle and high school instructors.

Also on the chopping block are eight principals, 15 vice principals, 59 counselors and 42 nurses.

About 600 staff workers could also be cut.