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Following a recent decision to trim expenses by $7.4 million starting next school year, the Mountain View Whisman school board approved laying off at least 20 district office employees and six custodians.
This move will reduce staff at the district office level by about 15%, halve the number of nighttime custodians and save Mountain View Whisman approximately $5 million. The board unanimously approved the reductions with no discussion or comments from trustees at a Thursday, Feb. 12, meeting.
The affected district office positions include a director of student services, a communications specialist and several teachers on special assignment. Now, per California law, the school district has until March 15 to identify and notify all affected employees of potential layoff.
The district has been moving toward major cuts like this one for months now as a result of projected budget shortfalls caused by shrinking revenue and rising operating costs. Most of Mountain View Whisman’s funding comes from local property taxes, which are calculated based on assessed property values.
Over the last six years, assessed values in the district have grown an average of 8.79% annually, but this school year, they increased just 2.34%, Chief Business Officer Rebecca Westover previously told the Voice.
At the end of January, the school board approved reducing expenses by $7.4 million. In addition to the elimination of district office staff positions, these cutbacks included salary freezes for administrators and computer reductions for younger grades.
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I pray the affected employees are able to find new jobs quickly.