Sacramento, California – The Sacramento City Unified School District is laying off workers and freezing spending immediately in an effort to deal with a growing fiscal crisis that might lead to state intervention by the end of the school year.
Trustees at a special board meeting this week expressed their frustration again over how slowly the district is moving to carry out a budget recovery plan that was first adopted in November. District officials admitted that the plan is currently likely to save a lot less money than they thought it would, and some of its most important parts have not yet been put into action.
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According to the Sacramento Bee which covered the meeting, the board got more bad news about the finances, which made things appear even worse. The district’s multi-year budget estimates had mistakes in them that showed Sacramento City Unified is in a worse position than they thought. If nothing changes immediately, authorities say the district may be $190 million in the red by the 2027–28 school year.
In response, the school board unanimously approved a set of emergency measures to cut costs for the rest of the current fiscal year. One of the most important things to do is hire more people for the administration. Instead of waiting until the summer as planned, about 70 administrators who were going to be let go will now either be given new jobs in the classroom or laid leave immediately.
The board also ordered an immediate freeze on professional services contracts that do not directly support students. Before work may start again on contracts that are important to the district’s operations, the board must approve them. In addition, all supply purchases are being halted for the remainder of the school year, with the exception of custodial necessities.
Non-union employees are also affected. About 190 employees will be laid off for 12 days before the end of May. District officials claim this will mean a wage cut of about 5%.
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As part of the cost-cutting effort, the trustees also agreed to keep four administrative positions empty, including one that was required by a settlement with the California Attorney General.
District administrators indicated that the board’s next meeting on February 5 will include more information about the financial plan and what comes next. This is because there is a lot of pressure to stabilize the district’s finances before stronger measures are taken.