There will be fewer than expected unemployed teachers in San Diego this fall.
The San Diego Unified School District’s Board of Trustees voted 5-0 Thursday to bring back close to 500 teachers who had been facing possible layoffs, including many physical education and music teachers, district officials are reporting.
The district mailed preliminary layoff notices to approximately 952 teachers in March. In total, 485 teachers, or 51 percent, of the 952 teachers thought to be leaving the district will, in fact, return to school this fall, according to district officials.
Most of the cancelled layoff notices are due to an early retirement program, which was also approved unanimously at the board meeting Thursday. Under the deal, 528 teachers opted for the early retirement plan in an effort to reduce layoffs, the district reported.
In a typical year, about 150 San Diego Unified teachers decide to retire, according to officials.
The district continues to face an expected budget shortfall of $124.4 million for the coming school year and is legally required to approve a balanced budget by the end of next month. School officials say the district still plans to move forward with significant workforce reduction measures.
–Staff
