Teacher layoff threat brews uncertainty at new Rancho Cordova school
Next school year, students returning to Sunrise Elementary School in Rancho Cordova may recognize only half their teachers.
The other half are targeted for layoffs and likely will be replaced by district teachers with more seniority.
Teachers at Elk Grove Unified's newest campus are trying to be upbeat for students, but there is an undeniable undercurrent of stress.
"It's very discouraging and disheartening to put this type of effort into this job and to have this kind of expectation for the future," said sixth-grade teacher Tim Martin. "It can make it difficult to keep up good morale."
Martin, 42, has received a pink slip each of his three years as a teacher. The first year, Elk Grove Unified drew on financial reserves to rescind layoff notices. In year two, the district used federal stimulus dollars and Martin was saved again.
But this time might be different. In the past three years, Elk Grove Unified has slashed $100
Autumn Cruz / acruz@sacbee.com
AUTUMN CRUZ acruz@sacbee.com Sixth-grade teacher Tim Martin helps Jessica Crocker, 11, with her math at Sunrise Elementary in Rancho Cordova. Fourteen of the school's 30 teachers, including Martin, received pink slips as Elk Grove Unified School District struggles with its third year of funding cuts.
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