San Francisco Unified School District superintendent Carlos Garcia this week proposed laying off teachers as part of a plan to close a projected $113 million budget gap over the next two fiscal years.
Under his plan, the district would eliminate most summer school programs, increase class sizes during the academic year, cut back on buses, reduce staff training and slash $44 million from district payrolls.
“Are we going to have layoffs this year? Absolutely,” Garcia said at a Tuesday night school board meeting. “The tsunami indeed has struck.”
The tidal wave in question is a wave of budget cuts coming down from Sacramento as lawmakers try to close a $20 billion state budget gap over the next year and a half. SFUSD’s per pupil funding dropped to $4,945 this fiscal year from $5,626 in fiscal 2009, and the district doesn’t expect any significant increases over the next couple of years.
To balance the district’s $400 million general fund budget, Garcia proposed cutting 400 jobs, including 100 teaching positions, forcing all workers to take two unpaid furlough days a year and otherwise freezing wages.
