Sacramento city teachers fired, program ended as district works to avoid state takeover amid pandemic
Preschool teachers in the Sacramento City Unified School District were among 12 people fired last week as the district continues to address a $27 million deficit.
SACRAMENTO, Calif — Tamara Toby was laid off last week.
The preschool teacher in the Sacramento City Unified School District was one of 12 fired as the district continues to address a $27 million deficit that predates the coronavirus pandemic.
Of the 12 let go were Toby and two other teachers who were part of the Parent Participation Preschool program (PPP) a 72-year-old hybrid program that combines early childhood education with parenting classes.
“It's unique, and I would hope the district would want to continue something like our program,” said Toby, who worked in the program for 10 years. “And if not continue it, grow it.”
Unfortunately, that’s not likely to happen.
The adult education program costs about $440,000 annually to run but only collects about $160,000 in fees every year. Plus, despite caring for about 200 preschoolers, the program is considered an adult education program and is not eligible for supplemental funding from the district.
A district spokesperson told ABC10 in a statement that while it’s a “wonderful program,” it’s not one that the district has resources to sustain.
“Without a fee structure that would make it self-sustaining, we are unable to continue funding this adult education program,” the district said. “We are actively working with families to explore a fee structure for participants that would make the program self-sustaining in light of the district’s budget situation.”
Avoiding a state takeover amid a pandemic
In 2018, state officials announced SCUSD had a high risk of being taken over by the state. Since then, the district has worked to find ways to cut cost and reduce spending in an effort to avoid what seemed inevitable.
Last year, a state auditor’s report said that the district had financially failed in three main areas — teacher salaries, employee benefits and special education. The state auditor warned that if CONTINUE READING: Sacramento City Unified School District teachers fired | abc10.com