Antioch Unified School District trustees voted 3-2 on Wednesday to approve a preliminary plan that will send layoff notices to roughly 300 full-time employees as leaders scramble to close a multimillion-dollar budget shortfall. The move sparked a packed and tense board meeting, where parents and staff warned that the cuts would gut special-education and student-support services. District officials countered that the step is meant to stabilize finances before county or state authorities step in with tougher measures.
County Oversight And A $30 Million Hole
District officials say AUSD is staring at an estimated $30 million deficit over the next two years after one-time COVID relief funds dried up while operating costs kept climbing. According to Antioch Unified, the Contra Costa County Office of Education reviewed the district’s interim budget report and downgraded its certification to “qualified,” triggering a Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT) review and tighter county oversight.
At Wednesday’s meeting, trustees agreed to send preliminary layoff notices that staff say could affect about 300 positions and would be used to cut roughly $37 million from operating costs if fully carried out. As reported by NBC Bay Area, the district plans to issue the required notices by March 15 under state timelines.
Opponents at the meeting pushed back hard, arguing that the reductions would strip essential supports from the most vulnerable students. The board’s 3-2 vote, with Trustees Mary Rocha and Dee Brown in dissent, came after lengthy public comment and repeated legal cautions from district counsel Jag Lathan that a state takeover could become a real risk if solvency does not improve, as reported by East Bay Times.
What A ‘Qualified’ Rating Means
A “qualified” certification signals that a school district may not be able to meet its financial obligations for the current or the next two years and typically comes with strings attached: more detailed plans, extra reporting and outside fiscal reviews. As explained by the California Department of Education, county offices can require corrective actions and request FCMAT evaluations to dig into a district’s financial controls and risks to long-term solvency…