Santa Ana Unified lays off staff as enrollment drops. Here's what that means for families

Santa Ana Unified School District will lose 262 teachers, counselors and other staff as it faces budget problems familiar to many other districts.

The district has forecast layoffs for months. This year's enrollment declined by 5%, and federal pandemic relief money has run out. Fewer students means less money from the state.

Santa Ana Unified is one of the state’s largest school districts, and faces some of the same demographic problems that have hit many others. “We have fewer younger families able to afford to live here,” said Fermin Leal, the district communications chief. He added that California’s declining birth rate is also a problem.

The district now has about 35,500 students, Leal said.

What do the layoffs mean for families?

The layoffs are all certificated staff — those who need some kind of license or credential to work, such as teachers and librarians. The district’s seniority policy means newer staff get displaced first.

“The end of temporary federal and state relief grants has left us navigating a significant funding shortfall,” Superintendent Jerry Almendarez said in a statement. “We knew these resources would expire, so for the past three years we have worked hand-in-hand with staff, union leaders, and community members — gathering feedback, testing ideas, and preparing for the realities we face today.”

Schools might experience some staff shuffling ahead of next year, Leal said, as the district moves remaining employees around in order to keep its student-teacher ratios even. Leal noted those ratios will stay under the maximum allowed in its contract with the teachers union (31:1); most elementary grades, for instance, are between 27:1 and 29:1, while kindergarten is 24:1. He also said the district currently has at least one counselor in every school.

The district did save 18 positions off its initial projections, due to retirements and cost-saving measures.

Will there be more cuts?

California school districts operate on three-year projections, and Leal said this year’s layoffs are intended to stave off future cuts in subsequent years despite another projected 5% decline in enrollment.

But “it’s up to the economy,” Leal said. He noted that Santa Ana has a lot of housing instability, and many of its residents have working class jobs. “When there's a recession or economic uncertainty, some of those positions are the first to go."