From left, Trustees Joy Flynn, Jessica Carrasco and Carol Turley listen as a resident speaks at a Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees meeting in Watsonville on Oct. 22. (Amaya Edwards — Santa Cruz Local/CatchLight Local file)

WATSONVILLE >> For the second time in two years, Pajaro Valley High School English teacher Rylan Shannon was told he’s being laid off, a cycle that’s left him frustrated and disillusioned.

Shannon, who teaches mostly ninth and 12th graders, said he received notice March 11 that he’s among the roughly 150 Pajaro Valley Unified School District workers being cut to balance the district’s ailing budget. The cuts include about 85 teachers, 15 counselors, 33 behavior technicians, and all 13 mental health clinicians in the district.

“I joked with my girlfriend [that] we hate spring semester, because it’s just full of so much uncertainty,” Shannon said. “You’re not able to just close your door and teach.”

Like many school districts statewide, PVUSD is struggling to balance a volatile budget amidst declining enrollment and rising costs. In December 2025, the Board of Trustees approved the layoffs amid protests from teachers, staff, parents and students, who warned the cuts would leave students without crucial support systems on campus. 

District administrators have said the cuts are required to balance the budget. 

“Our goal throughout has been, and remains, to protect our educators, maintain stability in classrooms, and ensure every student receives a high-quality learning experience,” PVUSD spokesperson Alejandro Chavez wrote in an email.

Dozens of people attended the March 18 Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees meeting and expressed concerns about PVUSD’s escalating budget crisis. (B. Sakura Cannestra — Santa Cruz Local)

The state-mandated deadline to notify staff of potential layoffs was March 15, but Chavez said the district began the layoff process in December to be more transparent and have “a people-centered approach.”  

Starting the process sooner also gave employees more time to consider an early retirement incentive, Chavez wrote. In a March 18 board meeting, Assistant Superintendent of Human ResourcesKit Bragg said 174 employees had taken advantage of the offer. 

As people retire and free up money in the budget projections, some layoff notices may be rescinded. 

Shannon, the English teacher, recalled that nearly every teacher that received a layoff notice last year had it rescinded after the budget was re-balanced. While he said he’d like to stay in the district, he’s looking for other jobs just in case.

Pajaro Valley High School English teacher Rylan Shannon speaks out against the layoffs of more than 100 staff at a March 18 Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees meeting. (B. Sakura Cannestra — Santa Cruz Local)

Some staff left the district before the layoff notices were sent, including three of the 13 mental health clinicians, leaving schools scrambling to fill the immediate need. 

A middle school teacher who received a layoff notice said it would be a “nightmare” for her to find another position farther away from home. The teacher, who requested to remain anonymous as the layoff decisions haven’t been made final yet, said they’re a single parent whose child is attending a PVUSD school. If they were to travel out of the county for work, they would have to find someone to drop off and pick up their child from school. 

The teacher also said they’re worried about the impacts the layoffs will have on students. Classrooms will be more crowded, they said, meaning less attention for each student. 

“All of these services that are here to help our kids and sustain them are getting wiped out,” they said.

The layoffs are projected to save about $15 million per year, but the district is exploring more ways to cut costs, including closing schools as early as the 2027-2028 school year. 

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