Why layoff notices are going out in some school districts amid a year of plenty

THE BOARD OF San Francisco Unified voted last week to eliminate positions for 300 staff; in Mt. Diablo Unified in Contra Costa County, the number of cuts is 99. And more jobs in more districts will be on the line in coming days as school boards decide whether to scale back teachers and administrators, janitors and office staff in a rush to meet a March 15 deadline to formally notify employees who could be out of work next year.

For parents, teachers, new board members and lawmakers, news of potential teacher layoffs no doubt will seem strange and inexplicable. There hasn’t been a big round of job cuts in many districts since the end of the Great Recession a decade ago; and 2022 is a year of record staff shortages and record school funding: $20-plus billion more under Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed budget, plus a $15 billion cushion from the last round of federal COVID relief. So, why should anyone be laid off now?