In the wake of dozens of California teacher strikes across the state, cuts to public education were announced. Many school districts, such as San Francisco Unified School District, timed these cuts to happen immediately following the teachers’ strike. This made it appear as if the cuts were required because of the teachers’ salary raise and improved health benefits. Oakland Unified School District implemented the same sneaky strategy. Yes, the Oakland teachers’ union (OEA) was able to narrowly avoid a strike and come to a contractual agreement that included an 11% raise, but then a week later the district announced 400 positions cut.
The job cuts did not just affect teachers. Central office staff and classified (out of classroom) staff lost positions as well. This creates tension among workers. Non teachers can then blame teachers’ salary increases as the reason for job losses. However, this timing is intentional. It is meant to further confuse and divide us. Those who oppose educators striking, can use this timing to argue that these cuts further harm public schools, and that selfish teachers should not strike for wage increases, because the resulting trade off is less staff.
So if the teachers’ striking is not causing the cuts, closures, and job losses, what is? Many believe that the problem is actually student enrollment. There are less children attending Bay Area schools. If there are fewer kids, then classrooms are not filled to the brim. As a result, teaching positions are cut to keep classrooms at capacity. Then, fewer teachers are required to manage the classrooms and less out of classroom staff is required to keep the school running.
Unfortunately this is not just in San Francisco and Oakland. West Contra Costa Unified School District approved nearly 200 staff layoffs and the merger of two schools. San Jose Unified School District is considering closing five elementary schools, while the city’s East Side Union High School District moved to cut at least 85 staff positions.
For those who are tuned into education policy this might come as a surprise, because education funding in California has been steadily increasing. Governor Gavin Newsom’s latest budget proposal would increase overall education spending by more than $10 billion for the 2026-27 state budget. Yet dozens of Bay Area school districts have announced layoffs, budget cuts, or school closures this year to repair gaping budget deficits ranging from $6 million to over $100 million.
Many school districts are touting the same reason for the cuts: declining enrollment. California is seeing the decline in public school enrollment for two key reasons: lower birth rates and migration across or out of the state. This should be no surprise – it turns out that when you live under a predatory capitalist system, with an ever increasing cost of living, people cannot afford to have kids. When you have a government that is implementing vicious immigration policies to deport immigrants, and openly touting fear that lowers immigration into the country, there are less immigrant students to enroll in our public schools.
There’s another big problem. California has an inequitable school funding formula. Schools receive a base amount of funding per student, and additional funding for students considered high-need, like English learners, foster youth, or low-income students. Yet schools receive money based on attendance, not enrollment. Schools with high rates of chronic absenteeism are usually located in high need areas. This punitive funding formula keeps state money away from high need schools with high rates of student absences, while school districts located in wealthier areas are able to fundraise additional money to pay for extra programs and resources for students. The school districts in privileged communities often do not suffer from student absences. So as Governor Newsom pours more money into public education, privileged communities will be able to access that money and use it to support their students and school programs.
So in summary, our highest need schools in California, that are already under-invested in, will not benefit from Governor Newsom’s new funding of education. Instead these school districts are cutting teachers, staff, and resources. Some school board members in San Francisco have been pushing back against this funding formula based on attendance rather than enrollment. They are proposing instead a simpler solution: a straight 7.24% increase in funding for each district.This would make some difference. But small incremental changes, this tinkering with the education system under the capitalist system, will not really change the inequities of this educational system. The politicians won’t fix the inequities and crimes of capitalism with a new bill, reform, or some new legislation. What we need is a completely new system – one that instead of funding bombs and genocide, puts education and healthcare first and the overall well-being of all of us as its top priorities.
