daily californian logo

BERKELEY'S NEWS • MARCH 27, 2023

Welcome to the (March) Madness! Read more here

Berkeley Unified School District proposes 8 job eliminations, reductions

article image

JOSHUA JORDAN | FILE

SUPPORT OUR NONPROFIT NEWSROOM

We're an independent student-run newspaper, and need your support to maintain our coverage.

APRIL 24, 2018

Berkeley Unified School District will discuss whether to eliminate, reduce or keep eight positions at its board meeting Wednesday.

The proposal to eliminate or reduce eight positions in the district includes three physical education instructional specialists and three nutritional services assistants. It also proposes to eliminate a clerical assistant and a health and wellness program coordinator — both positions that are currently vacant. The meeting agenda attributes the need for cuts to “lack of work” and/or “lack of funds.”

According to BUSD spokesperson Charles Burress, none of the positions proposed to be reduced are currently full-time.

Burress also said in an email that which positions will be reduced depends on several variables and is yet to be determined.

“Variables that could determine what layoffs if any would occur might include future budget revisions approved by the School Board, revenue increases, changes in enrollment, opportunities for affected staff to pick up additional hours in other positions that have unfilled hours, reorganization of job or department responsibilities, and other such factors,” Burress said in an email.

BUSD proposed a budget cut of $1.8 million earlier this year, which would include reduction of employees, and faced backlash for the proposed elimination of a vice principal at Malcolm X Elementary School.

To meet the $1.8 million budget cut, BUSD also agreed to reductions in safety officers, a behavioral specialist and a counselor. Additionally, the board agreed to make reductions of $50,000 from the homeless budget, $15,000 from the GATE program budget, $75,000 from legal costs and $127,404 from the child development fund from the General Fund.

The reductions to which the board agreed totaled $1,785,209 on Feb. 21. The board voted unanimously in support of these cuts.

Cade Johnson is the lead schools and communities reporter. Contact him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter at @cadejohnson98.
LAST UPDATED

APRIL 25, 2018


Related Articles

featured article
Although Malcolm X Elementary School Vice Principal Candyce Cannon’s job is tentatively safe, other Berkeley Unified School District employees' jobs are still in jeopardy because of proposed staff layoffs for the 2018-19 academic year.
Although Malcolm X Elementary School Vice Principal Candyce Cannon’s job is tentatively safe, other Berkeley Unified School District employees' jobs are still in jeopardy because of proposed staff layoffs for the 2018-19 academic year.
featured article
featured article
The Berkeley Unified School District plans to cut $1.8 million from its budget for the 2018-19 academic school year, of which about $420,000 in cuts has been approved.
The Berkeley Unified School District plans to cut $1.8 million from its budget for the 2018-19 academic school year, of which about $420,000 in cuts has been approved.
featured article
featured article
The Superintendent's Budget Advisory Committee, or SBAC, met Tuesday evening to discuss the Berkeley Unified School District's, or BUSD's, budget cuts from its general fund for the 2018-19 school year, which aim to cut between $1.8 million and $2.1 million.
The Superintendent's Budget Advisory Committee, or SBAC, met Tuesday evening to discuss the Berkeley Unified School District's, or BUSD's, budget cuts from its general fund for the 2018-19 school year, which aim to cut between $1.8 million and $2.1 million.
featured article