The school board in the Grossmont Union High School District voted 4-1 to eliminate dozens of positions, including nine teacher/librarians. NBC 7’s Dave Summers reports.
The school board in the Grossmont Union High School District voted 4-1 Thursday night to eliminate dozens of positions, including nine teacher/librarians.
The decision infuriated many of the hundreds of people who attended the board meeting, trying to fight the cuts. Every seat in El Cajon Valley High School's activity center and its overflow room was filled. People stood inside and out to show their support for their librarians.
James Messina, president of the Grossmont Education Association, says the district is financially sound and that eliminating important positions is a last resort.
“We’ve had the biggest budget we’ve ever had. We have the biggest ending balance we ever had. We have four-and-a-half times the state required reserve,“ Messina said.
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Mount Miguel High School seniors won't be back to benefit from their librarians after this year. Still, they came to support them.
“Our librarian, especially, is trained in mental health, and he is there to talk to whenever students need it," Mohammed Alkarkhy said. "He has created a space in which students feel comfortable."
"Its just unfair," Josue Garcia said. "They are trying to fire somebody so essential to school when there are so many other things that can be cut."
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GUHSD teachers are in lockstep with their students.
“Making this cut to our librarians like this makes no sense at all," Granite Hills High School teacher Matthew Davis said. "It will damage what happens to our kids."
The librarians are not the only ones on the chopping block. The union president handed NBC 7 a list of 49 credentialed employee positions that could be eliminated. They include principals, vice principals, teachers and psychologists. They’ll know at the next meeting who those people are.
There is another list that includes 11 classified positions, such as support personnel.
At times on Thursday night, the crowd was so ruckus that board members left the room. The union president says some 90 people signed up to speak, but less than a third actually had the opportunity.
“We certainly understand that was in this room tonight. We certainly understand how just how passionate people are,” district spokesperson Collin McGlashen said.
McGlashen says there is a healthy reserve but calls it "one-time money."
“It's not advisable to use one-time money for long-term structural problems,“ McGlashen said.
McGlashen says the district must make hard decisions since it's facing state school budget cuts due to the cost of wildfire damages and declining enrollment.
“We’re having to look down the road," McGlashen said. "This is not just about balancing the budget this year."
The gallery is not convinced. Many are vowing to return to the next meeting in hopes the board will rescind Thursday's resolutions.
The district has until March 15 to notify full-time employees of the potential for eliminating their positions. Thursday's decision may not be the final.
