Sacramento teachers and other school employees are bracing themselves for thousands of pink slips.
Unlike previous years when many layoff notices were rescinded, school officials say more of those employees will likely lose their jobs this year.
"It's heartbreaking," said Steven Ladd, Elk GroveUnified School District superintendent, whose district is expected to send out more than 1,000 pink slips.
Ladd and other administrators say layoffs this year probably can't be avoided. Years of intense budget cutting have left districts so lean that salaries are approaching 90 percent of some districts' budgets.
The rising numbers of pink slips locally are part of a statewide wave. David Sanchez, president of the California Teachers Association, said the deluge could be worse then last year, when 28,000 teachers received pink slips and 16,000 lost their jobs.
Any layoffs would ripple in the local economy. "The wave of layoffs is hurting the community," said General Davie, interim superintendent of the Natomas Unified School District. "A lot of our teachers live in the community, and it's terrible that we're laying these people off and taking away their health insurance."
Area districts are facing massive deficits – some are $30 million to $60 million in the red. School officials said they've cut so many programs in the last two years, there's not much left to cut except salaries.
"All of the easy solutions have been exhausted," said Jonathan Raymond, superintendent of theSacramento City Unified School District. "It's critical that we do something to reduce our costs, largely driven by salaries and health benefits."
Sacramento City Unified officials expect to spend more than 89 percent of the 2010-11 budget on salaries, while the Folsom Cordova Unified School District will spend roughly 87 percent and Natomas Unified about 80.5 percent.
To avoid massive layoffs, school officials say,
