Teachers lined up along the front of Monte Vista holding signs of protests and concerns after the Board of Education released the budget reduction plan, starting with a devastating cut of $26 million. The peaceful gathering took place before and after school on January 30, and included both teachers and classified staff members who held signs advocating for the need for counselors and social workers.
The goals of the demonstration were to bring awareness to the community regarding the budget cuts and how they will impact students. The district is planning to lay-off librarians, counselors, social workers and teachers as well as closing wellness centers, and increasing class sizes in order to save money.
While the district does not necessarily plan to get rid of Monte Vista’s wellness center, those at other schools in the district are at risk of losing funding. In addition, there is a chance that the wellness center will be run by someone else next year instead of Rebecca White whom students have come to know and trust.
“I think when someone comes to know their counselor and trusts them or comes to know the person in the wellness center or the librarian or a specific teacher, that they really trust, and then they’re gone because of budget cuts, it’s a really sad thing,” said English teacher Heather Slipka. “And it’s not something that the teacher… or the librarian or any of the people who are getting laid off [have control over], and it’s certainly not anything the kids can control. And so sometimes it adds in another level of anxiety for kids to come to school every day knowing that they’re not going to have that trusted adult that they have come to rely on.”
Another possible effect of the cuts is an increase in student ratios by two per class, meaning class sizes will go up as a result of some teachers potentially being let go.
Since students have no control over the budget reduction plans or management of funds, teachers feel that it is unfair for students to take the brunt of the losses.
“As a teacher, it’s my job to make sure that I feel like my students are being taken care of as well as I can make sure they are,” Slipka said.
Teachers and staff hope that the district will restructure its budget so that the cuts are moved to other areas in order to avoid impacting the students unnecessarily. During the week of January 26, San Ramon Valley Education Association (SRVEA), the teachers union, updated their main leaflet to voice their concerns about the budget plans. They provided facts and statistics about revenue, expenditures, and management’s fiscal projections, and went on to offer possible solutions that would have less impact on students.
“SRVEA members challenge [San Ramon Valley Unified School District] SRVUSD management to exhaust all alternatives to PROTECT OUR STUDENTS before discussions about harming direct student services through management’s proposed budget cuts.”
Some teachers, like Slipka, are willing to put in extra effort when it comes to teaching if it means they can help minimize the negative effects of the cuts. For example, teachers frequently utilize online articles or videos and have students complete assignments through Google Classroom instead of printing out individual copies for every student.
Despite the teachers’ and staff’s efforts, the district has yet to announce any changes in the budget plan. Superintendent CJ Cammack acknowledged the demonstration in an email sent out to the staff and community. In the email he acknowledged the stark reality of the budget cuts and summarized the large sum needed to be reduced within the year. He also recognized the importance of the teachers and staff to the district and hopes to work with them and the community to resolve the concerns brought up and minimize the effects felt from the cuts.
“We recognize that these budget cuts are difficult, and we remain committed to working collaboratively with every member of our staff and community to prioritize student learning while ensuring the district’s fiscal stability,” Cammack said.
A series of cuts are expected to hit the district after the Contra Costa County Office of Education presses the district to reduce the year 2025’s budget by $37.5 million. To meet this reduction, a budget cut package was proposed and approved by Cammack.
The previous budget reduction plan was changed as a result of 2023-2024’s fiscal year, which had an expenditure of $7.25 million more than estimated. The impact of this is still being felt today as the previously projected $16.5 million budget reduction was greatly increased. These findings were published in an email sent out to the community by Cammack in September 2024.
“The actions needed in 23-24 and 24-25… will affect the 25-26 budget as well,” Cammack said. “As you may anticipate, our already shared projected reductions of at least $16.5 million will also need to be increased.”
The message that the teachers tried to convey through their demonstration was summarized by Laura Finco, president of SRVEA, at a recent Board of Education meeting held on February 3 in response to concerns raised by teachers and the community about the budget cuts.
“…[The mismanagement of funding] was no fault of any of our students or any of our staff. [In] surveys, the town halls, even in the Budget Advisory Committee, there was an overriding theme that continued to say, ‘protect our students, especially their class sizes and their mental health services.’ And yet, the majority of the cuts that have been approved in the budget reduction plan target our kids.”
