California school district mass layoffs of teachers and staff spark union backlash

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) will lay off more than 27 full-time employees by the end of the 2025-2026 school year, citing a reduction in specific services.

The cuts target five teachers, including specialists who provide critical reading support for struggling students. More than 20 other staff positions, the majority of which are custodial roles, will also be eliminated.

District officials stated that affected employees will receive notification of the layoffs by March 15.

The announcement has sparked backlash from parents, who launched an online petition warning that the loss of specialists will disproportionately impact the district's most vulnerable students.

The layoffs come as SEIU Local 99, the union representing many of the workers, is engaged in contract negotiations. Union leaders accused the district of a lack of transparency and claimed that officials are pushing proposals that would worsen working conditions.

While the district cited service reductions for the move, the union alleged that SMMUSD maintains a sufficient budget and is choosing to cut staff despite having the necessary funds.

The standoff at the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District underscores a fundamental tension in the American public education system: the collision of fiscal austerity with student equity and labor rights.

The timing of the district’s layoff announcements, issued in the heat of contract negotiations with SEIU Local 99, appears less a matter of administrative necessity than a calculated bargaining maneuver. By introducing workforce instability during active talks, the district has effectively pressured the union’s leverage at the table. SEIU’s counter-argument—that the district maintains sufficient reserves but is choosing to prioritize alternative expenditures—reframes the conflict as a debate over policy values rather than mere budgetary constraints.

This dispute transcends the boundaries of a standard labor impasse. The proposed elimination of Leveled Literacy Intervention (LLI) specialists poses a direct threat to the district’s most vulnerable learners, threatening to widen the academic achievement gap—a systemic challenge that remains a focal point of national education policy. The rapid mobilization of parents through grassroots petitions signals a growing community consensus that administrative fiscal decisions are, in fact, pedagogical choices with long-term consequences for student outcomes.

Ultimately, the situation in Santa Monica-Malibu serves as a bellwether for school districts nationwide. As administrators navigate the end of pandemic-era federal funding and shifting economic realities, they face the same precarious balancing act: reconciling strained balance sheets with the mandate to provide equitable education and maintain a stable, professionalized workforce.

While this issue may not directly impact community-specific economic pillars like the nail salon industry or remittances, it remains deeply relevant to Vietnamese-American families across California. The quality of public education—specifically potential cuts to support services for students facing language barriers or learning challenges—is a major concern for many Vietnamese parents. Furthermore, policies regarding layoffs and labor conditions within the education sector could indirectly affect the many community members currently employed by local school districts.