Four teachers and five administrative/support employees at the Santa Barbara Unified School District will be laid off for the 2026-2027 school year.
The layoffs include two elementary school teachers, a teacher of vision-impaired students, a teacher of deaf and hard-of-hearing students, an administrative support technician, an attendance technician, a family engagement and partnership liaison and two general education paraeducators.
The board, at its April 28 meeting, officially approved eliminating 34 positions, which was down from the 66 it initially identified as subject to reduction or elimination.
The district may try to find other places within the district for employees whose positions are eliminated to reduce the number of people actually laid off, said Ed Zuchelli, the spokesperson for SBUSD.
Negotiations with the California School Employees Association Chapter 37 (Santa Barbara) and the Santa Barbara Teachers Association also helped to bring that number down.
Earlier this week, CSEA Chapter 37 signed off on a memorandum of understanding regarding the layoffs.
Zachery Ortiz, the labor relations representative for CSEA Chapter 37, told the News-Press that he was “happy with how we were able to reach an agreement that works for everyone considering the situation.”
SBTA worked with the district this year to come up with a retirement incentive, said President York Shingle, who also serves as a member of the district’s Finance Advisory Committee.
“I don’t expect a school district to fix the overall economic problems we’re facing,” Shingle told the News-Press. “But we do have to figure out a way that—the folks who care for our kids in this community can also live in this community.”
Shingle hopes that in the coming years the budget presented to the board comes closer to its actual yearly revenue, especially to avoid cutting programs and laying off teachers.
Declining enrollment and upward pressure in costs, according to the district, are driving the deficit. Initially, the layoffs were projected to save the district $6.8 million, while it was only looking to make $2 million in cuts for the 2026-2027 school year.
“We’ve got to be able to do better when it comes to budgeting and making sure our numbers are accurate,” Shingle said. “Because ultimately, it’s our students who pay the price.”
