Scores of San Diego Education Association (SDEA) teachers rallied outside Madison High School to protest proposed cuts to schools that will limit students’ access to P.E., Art, and Music classes throughout the sprawling San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD).

Weeks ago, the SDUSD Board of Trustees voted to eliminate more than 1,400 jobs — of which 861 include teachers, counselors, school nurses, psychologists and other credentialed positions.

For teachers, the cuts are both personal and professional. Not only do they hurt some of their most vulnerable students, they are based on calculations the district is notorious for miscalculating. SDEA President Lindsey Burningham explained, “The District has always over projected their expenses and under projected their revenue.” She argues that with additional monies from the state in May and June, along with budget adjustments, the cuts are largely unnecessary.

As the process of Reduction In Force (RIF) is ongoing, SDEA will continue to raise opposition to unnecessary disruptions to local schools that eliminate opportunities for are most economically challenged students and neighborhoods.