Employees and parents crowded the gym at Cesar Chavez Middle School on Tuesday as Oceanside School District superintendent Larry Perondi presented cost-cutting measures that would slash $12 million from the budget, according to our media partner the North County Times.
The cuts include layoffs, larger class sizes and implementing bus charges.
Salaries and benefits make up about 85 percent of the districts budget, so the upcoming cuts will no doubt include layoffs, according to Perondi.
"We are now at the point of attacking the very core of education," Perondi said. "There will be no way to avoid making painful decisions."
Tuesday, Perondi is proposing the district let 142 employees aware that their jobs are on the line, including 88 teachers, 49 non-teaching employees and five administrators.
Several teachers told the board that they understood certain steps are necessary, but said they didn't want to see layoffs of salary freezes.
"We need to stand up for education, because education cuts never heal," said Terry Hart, president of the district's teachers union.
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The school board made no decisions about these new budget cut recommendations, and are set to meet again March 10 to approve some preliminary pink slips.
Receiving a pink slip doesn't necessarily mean a teacher will get laid off. Last year, the district issued nearly 100 notices but ended up bringing most of the employees back.
To read the complete article from the North County Times, click here.
