photo credit: Valley of the Moon Teachers Association
Instagram post by the Valley of the Moon Teachers Association shows
educators outside the February 8th SVUSD board meeting where
trustees voted to eliminate 35 full time positions within the district.

Deep cuts are coming to the education staff within the Sonoma Valley Unified School district.

While the district expects staying solvent for the next few years, its reserves are forecast to dip below the state mandated three percent.

Sonoma Valley Unified school district trustee Celeste Winders said the cautionary "qualified" budget status that puts the district into, while not uncommon, is not a place they want to be.

"The reason it's not uncommon is because things like one-time Covid funding ends," Winders said. "Things like your federal and your state funding change, expenditures change, but it means that you have to fix it. And so that's where we have landed today."

In an attempt to right the financial ship and prevent a state takeover, the district's board of trustees has voted to eliminate 35 full time positions - 22 teachers and 13 classified employees.

Positions on the chopping block include elementary and high school teachers, as well as special education aides.

But a music teacher position, intervention educator, and college and career coordinator position were spared from the proposed cut.

Financial forecasts for Sonoma Valley Unified show expenditures growing by close three million dollars more than previously expected, while revenue is projected to fall by over two and a half million from early estimates.

Teachers and classified staff are decrying the cuts to their staff, while managerial staff remain untouched by the recent move.

Teachers union representative Dennis Housman said the teachers are paying the price for poor management.

"Mismanagement of funds, litigation costs, improper allocations of funds should not be resolved on the backs of teacher salaries," Housman said. "I was unaware at that time that I should have also included intervention teachers, a band program, counselors, nurses, a college and career educator, as well as many hardworking teachers."

The educators and classified staff selected for possible layoffs will be notified by March 15th.