California School Districts Plan 1,750 Teacher Layoffs; What's Wrong With California Public Schools?

About 1,750 public school teachers, as well as counselors and administrators, in California will soon receive layoff notices or pink slips from their school district. The teacher's union says this is the largest layoff in the state so far and it's going to happen even as there is a shortage of teachers.

Most layoffs affect special education, bilingual education and math and science teachers. The California Teachers Association says these are the most in-demand teaching jobs but the layoffs are still happening as a way to purge and prepare for the next school year, as per City Watch LA.

Among the reasons for the layoffs include budget cuts and the decline of student enrollments, according to Hanford Sentinel. Some teachers attest the layoffs do take place around this time of the year until May, but these aren't unusual and it's not entirely bad news.

Come June, when funding problems are resolved, some of those laid-off could likely be employed again in other schools. In other words, school districts can eventually rescind pink slips. "The actual number of layoff notices is higher than what we expect the number of layoffs to be," Superintendent Mike Matsuda of Anaheim said, as per OC Register.

There is, however, still that level of uncertainty, especially if school districts do not come up with better solutions. What makes this year's action different is because of the number of pink notices and the noticeable lack of teachers knowledgeable in the most in-demand jobs. Meanwhile, the school districts are still poised to make cuts.

Some of these problems might also remain permanent, thus threatening the longevity of state schools. For instance, other teachers are opting to leave public schools because of the lure of teaching in charter schools, where more students are already attending.

"Our school has a problem because many teachers are leaving," one teacher told the Register. "Because there aren't enough students coming to our school, so we need more students," she added.