Capo Rehiring Two-Thirds of Pink-Slipped Teachers

Four months after sending layoff notices to 374 teachers, counselors and staff, CUSD has begun refilling all but 123 positions.

Of those who appear unlikely to return, middle and high school math and English teachers are hardest hit. And all art teaching layoffs are poised to become permanent.

However, it appears all Spanish-immersion "Two-Way" teachers and music teachers will be rehired.

As of the end of June, the Capistrano Unified School District identified 123 positions it cannot guarantee it will fill by September, according to an internal document Patch obtained.

Because of declining enrollment and a , the school district . The trustees then agreed in June to  which will increase class sizes by 1.5 students across all grades and decrease the overall number of teachers needed. 

Instead of counting the number of people who will be laid off, the district uses the term “full-time equivalent” to indicate the workload. According to a June 26 document, employees who worked the equivalent of nearly 391 full-time positions were either on the chopping block or scheduled to be reassigned to other posts in the district.

However, 181.2 of those positions had already clinched guaranteed employment for fall, according to the document, obtained after Patch made a California Public Records Act request. Another 86.1 positions, mostly teaching jobs, were expected to be rehired in time for school in September.

That left 123.1 full-time positions “without a guarantee as of June 26,” according to the memo.

The document does not include teachers’ names, but does include which subjects they teach. The numbers are districtwide. The cuts include:

• 9.4 fewer K-6 teachers
• 12.6 art teachers
• 6 business teachers
• 18 English teachers
• 26.4 math teachers
• 10 physical education teachers
• 10.2 life science teachers
• 2.8 physical science teachers
• 12.6 social science teachers
• 1.8 early intervention teachers (special ed)
• 2 special ed teachers (mild/moderate disabilities)
• 2 special ed teachers (moderate to severe disabilities)
• 2 counselors
• 6.1 teachers on special assignment (not in the classroom)

In April, six Patches in CUSD's boundaries identified the 374 teachers whose jobs were threatened by name and teaching post. Among them were 11 art teachers at the district's seven high schools and one middle school.

Regarding the employees who fill the 181.2 positions guaranteed employment and those filling the 86.1 positions that are expected to be rehired this summer, Capistrano Unified spokesman Marcus Walton said, “We are in the process of hiring them back.”

Another document obtained by Patch does list 178 “teachers receiving final layoff notices" by name.

However, Walton urged Patch not to publish those names, which trustees received in June.

“I’m told the … document was produced while the assistant superintendent was out of the office, and she did not have an opportunity to review it before it was distributed to the trustees. It is wrong.”