The La Jolla Cluster Association, meeting for the first time in 2024, discussed an array of local school topics at its gathering Feb. 8, including budgets, enrollment and the group’s goals.
The association is composed of representatives of the San Diego Unified School District’s five public campuses in La Jolla.
Budget
SDUSD board Vice President Cody Petterson, whose District C includes La Jolla, said some teachers will begin receiving layoff notices in coming months.
In January, district officials said they were looking for ways to cut the budget while projecting a $70 million deficit in the general fund for next school year as public schools across California grapple with a major state budget shortfall and expiring pandemic recovery money.
Teachers who already plan to retire are being asked to indicate that so they can avoid receiving an unnecessary pink slip, Petterson said.
“We want them to go on their own ,” he said.
Some 95 percent of San Diego Unified’s unrestricted spending goes toward salaries and benefits, and district officials said they want to prioritize attrition rather than layoffs to reduce staffing costs. They have offered a $1,000 incentive for staff who declare their intent to retire.
Teacher allocation
District Area 5 Superintendent Mitzi Merino said allocation of teachers to La Jolla campuses for next school year will be decided once enrollment is solidified. Neither she nor Petterson could give numbers on how many teachers La Jolla would have.
“Once we can say ‘It looks like there is solid proof that students are coming,’ we will give them the teacher allocation,” Merino said.
Before each school year, SDUSD projects enrollment at each school and assigns teachers based on those projections. Schools with significant increases in expected enrollment may be allocated an increase in teachers. Those with significant decreases may get fewer.
On the third Friday of the school year, in early September, the district collects enrollment data to see how many students actually signed up for each school and grade level.
Then the district adjusts how many teachers are allocated to each school based on the actual enrollment. In some cases, teachers may be transferred from schools with lower-than-projected enrollment to fill needs at schools where enrollment is higher.
In October, the principals of all five SDUSD schools in La Jolla said they had no teacher transfers related to enrollment this school year.
Cluster goals
Association agreed that more math options should be readily available to high school students, including more Advanced Placement classes and a more advanced curriculum.
“We are on alignment from elementary school through high school and making sure students are strong at every point,” said group Chairwoman Megan DeMott.
The La Jolla Cluster Association’s next meeting will be at 4:15 p.m. Thursday, April 18, at the Muirlands Middle School library, 1056 Nautilus St. For more information, visit lajollacluster.com. ◆
