Fremont Unified School District (FUSD) is laying off over 40 staff members that assist disabled and English as a Second Language (ESL) students. The staff report from the Feb. 11 school board meeting says the affected positions include community liaison/bilingual positions, instructional paraeducators and office positions.
The employees will be terminated at the end of the school year. According to the district’s education code, the school board members can cut positions because of the lack of work hours and/or lack of funding for those positions.
An assistant principal and a teacher from Fremont Adult School will also be laid off at the end of the school year.
The staff report says the California School Employees Association (CSEA) and Fremont School Management Association (FSMA) are aware of the layoffs. The Issues and Advocacy portion of the CSEA website said the union is encouraging members to advocate at the federal level and to take action against U.S. Department of Education cuts.
FUSD board president Dianne Jones said the layoffs are not something they want to do. “These decisions are always very difficult and we wish that our funding situation was different,” she said. “Because we know that the services that these folks provide benefit our students.”
