Fresno’s Central school students working to prevent teacher layoffs. Can jobs be saved?

Fresno’s Central Unified School board delayed voting on teacher layoffs late Tuesday following a student-led campaign to save the 10 positions from the chopping block.

“It’s obvious there is a disconnect between the community and the administration,” Trustee Jeremy Mehling said Tuesday after about two dozen people spoke during public comment asking the board not to lay off teachers.

The proposed layoffs follow the decision in October to lower graduation requirements from 280 credits to 230, a move that requires students to take one fewer class per day. Numerous community members spoke out during Tuesday’s meeting, urging the board to keep the teachers.

“I’m not sure if our calls will change anything,” Monica Lopez said during Tuesday’s meeting. “As a parent of three Central students, I feel betrayed by the people elected to represent our community. I urge you not to make a decision that will affect students for years to come.”

The board will vote to layoff teachers on Feb. 23, and Central Unified will hold a public forum to answer questions from the community.

“We were pleasantly surprised to see so many people voicing their perspective,” Jesly Jimenez told The Bee’s Education Lab. Jimenez is a senior at Central Unified and one of the founding members of a student-run grassroots organization — Coalition for Academic Interest and Reform — advocating against teacher layoffs.

The coalition, also known as CAIR, created a change.org petition to save the 10 teachers’ jobs and has received more than 1,000 signatures as of Wednesday morning.

“We hope they continue to listen and that the board sees the impact this issue has made on the community,” Jimenez said.

Trustee Phillip Cervantes cast the only no vote. He didn’t specifically address why he didn’t want to delay the vote but said, “unfortunately, we don’t have an unlimited amount of money to do everything that we would like to do.

“We have to be fiscally responsible to this school district to be self-sustainable, so if we’re put into a position to make a decision, it’s not just about finances. It’s about self-sustainability,” Cervantes added.

The teachers who could be laid off include five social science teachers, two Spanish teachers, one PE and dance teacher, a business, and a drama teacher.

No tenured staff will be affected, and all the positions are probationary. Those laid off will have the right to be rehired in the order of seniority if there is a vacancy within 24 months.

Central Unified Teachers Association President Judee Martinez said every year the union bargains for smaller class sizes, which is a “top priority” for teachers. The district has “promised” to reduce class sizes after the new Justin Garza High School was built, she said, which is set to open in August.

“Here is our new opportunity,” Martinez said. “Keep our ten teachers and begin reducing class sizes. It’s the right thing to do.”

Although Justin Garza High School is opening, the district still has the same student high school population, about 4,200, said Jack Kelejian, the assistant superintendent of human resources. The district is splitting up students into three campuses, he said, not adding more students.

“If we had more enrollment, (we) would consider hiring more staff,” Kelejian said during the meeting.

Superintendent Andrew Alvarado said if the board did vote to layoff 10 teachers, the district would still be overstaffed.

Why lay off 10 teachers?

In October, board members changed graduation requirements, lowering the credits to 230 from 280 starting in the 2021-22 school year. Subtracting 50 credits allowed students to go from eight to six class periods a day, which reduced the number of teachers the district needed for certain subjects.

Teachers will also be downsizing from six classes to five classes each semester.

Some teachers and students criticized the move, saying the community should have been given more of an opportunity to weigh in.

Many people who spoke during public comment on Tuesday night also brought up issues with having six class periods.

“I’m sure the district is doing everything they can to keep the electives we have currently,” Laura Bolton, a Central Unified teacher, said during public comment. “What’s being cut is the (students’) ability and opportunity to take these classes.”

There are going to be fewer slots open for students to take elective courses, Bolton said.

Several Central Unified students said they wouldn’t be able to take certain electives because of the new schedule.

CAIR also created a change.org petition in favor of keeping graduation requirements at 280, citing the negative effects it could have on teachers and students.

“... this new policy caters to a small population of transfers and potential dropouts while harming the ability of the majority of students to engage fully in the academic and extracurricular opportunities Central has to offer,” the petition said.

The board has said lowering credits is also a way to boost graduation rates. Currently, Central Unified is in “targeted school improvement for graduation rates.” Between 300-400 students do not graduate each year.

The district has an 86% high school graduation rate, ranking fourth among the five largest local districts (Fresno, Clovis, Madera, and Sanger are the others) in graduation numbers. The previous requirements held Central Unified students to a higher standard requiring more credits than other districts in the area.

The Education Lab is a local journalism initiative that highlights education issues critical to the advancement of the San Joaquin Valley. It is funded by donors. Read more from The Bee’s Education Lab here.

This story was originally published January 27, 2021 at 8:11 AM.