East Bay school district makes difficult choices to close budget gap
The West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) Board of Trustees recently voted to lay off teachers and other educators in an effort to address a significant budget deficit.
While the district is grappling with a multi-million-dollar shortfall, the amount is relatively smaller compared to deficits faced by neighboring school districts, such as those in Oakland and San Francisco. Nevertheless, students and educators alike are expressing concern about the impact these cuts will have on their learning and teaching environments.
At Richmond High School, students acknowledged that they may not fully understand the complexities of budget deficits or politics, but they are worried about the consequences of reduced resources.
"There's a lot of people that care about you. There's students and there's teachers, too. I feel like it's my second home," said Richmond High sophomore Gladys Ceja Martinez.
Ceja Martinez, who already finds algebra challenging, described her frustration with the current state of her math class.
"In my math class, we had a substitute teacher for months already. And now, they took out the substitute to put another substitute. So it's like, 'Who's teaching us?'" she asked, highlighting the difficulties of learning without a permanent instructor.
Many students believe the quality of their education may suffer.
"I feel bad for what has to happen," said Richmond High junior Kevin Hernandez, referring to the impending layoffs.
For the upcoming 2025-2026 school year, the WCCUSD Board of Trustees has agreed to cut $7 million from the budget, which will include the layoff of 43 workers, primarily educators. Additionally, the district will reduce funding for various programs and supplies. This comes on the heels of nearly $20 million in cuts already made to the current school year's budget.
The district will also cut $6 million in the 2026-2027 school year.
"We're forced to do that during these tough fiscal times. And that's our only goal. It is not to take away from our students. It is not to impact their learning environment," said interim WCCUSD Superintendent Dr. Kim Moses.
She explained that the district would need to rely on its reserves to balance the operating budget. A decline in student enrollment and a decrease in average daily attendance -- still below pre-COVID levels -- have contributed to the district's financial struggles.
However, some teachers argue that the district may have enough funds to avoid layoffs altogether. United Teachers of Richmond President Francisco Ortiz criticized the decision.
"It's challenging to fathom any cuts currently given that our schools are in such crisis," Ortiz said, pointing out that the district currently has 120 vacancies, forcing many schools to rely heavily on substitute teachers.
"This is going to be a destabilizing impact long-term for our students and our communities," he added.
For students like Ceja Martinez, the situation is difficult to understand, especially in the tech-rich Bay Area. They questioned why districts are struggling to fund schools.
Dr. Moses has expressed concerns that further cuts could be necessary in the coming years. One way the district hopes to improve its financial situation is by increasing daily student attendance, which could lead to additional funding.
