SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Unified School District Thursday canceled the majority of teacher layoff notices it issued in March.
Based on the financial information available at the time and because of required deadlines, 234 preliminary layoff notices were issued to educators in March. The district, in partnership with the San Diego Education Association, rescinded 225 of those notices on Thursday.
"Our board is steadfast in its commitment to ensuring all students can reach their full potential," said SDUSD Board of Education President Shana Hazan. "Despite a significant deficit, I am proud that through data-driven planning that prioritized children's needs, we have developed a fiscally sound budget with limited impacts on our tremendous educators.
"I am grateful for the diligent work of our fiscal and instructional teams, and the support of the San Diego Education Association, in developing a thoughtful plan to maintain stability at our schools by supporting our students and educators in the next school year," Hazan said.
Following the March notices, SDEA educators around the district put up flyers opposing the layoffs, which they described as "shortsighted and unnecessary."
The San Diego Unified School District avoided the majority of layoffs by taking an updated look at the financial situation and for identifying which teachers were retiring or resigning.
This likely means a hiring freeze -- or at least a slowdown -- for the district, the second largest in the state, as it reels from COVID-19 money running dry and attendance figures district-wide continuing to decrease.
The district is working with site principals to finalize staffing plans for the upcoming school year.
San Diego Educations Association posted a response to the announcement on social media Thursday evening:
"Thanks to SDEA and allied community members’ organizing, we’ve been able to reach an agreement with SDUSD on a side letter that will result in the rescinding of 101 of the 108 remaining educator layoff notices! It will also keep our school communities stable for the 2024-25 school year. These incredible gains were not possible without our collective actions. Our school board rally, site-based accountability sessions with laid off educators, parent leafleting and signs on the doors of our classrooms throughout the district were the organizing that helped move the Superintendent and School Board to reach this agreement with SDEA. Together We Are Stronger!"
WATCH: San Diego Unified approves more than 400 layoffs across the district (March 2024):