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SEIU 521 Frontline Educators, Parents, and Elected Community Leaders Demand to Santa Clara County Office of Education Superintendent: β€œRescind the Layoffs, Protect Critical Student Services and Stop the DOGE Style Cuts!”

Media Contact: Ian Newman, Valerie Prigent

Petition to stop layoffs: www.seiu521.org/endsccoelayoffs/

Santa Clara, CA β€” SEIU Local 521 education workers, parents, students, and community advocates held a press conference in front of the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE). Santa Clara County Office of Education Trustee Tara Sreekrishnan, Santa Clara County Supervisors Betty Duong , and SSylvia Areanas , and community allies from Working Partnerships USA stood in solidarity with workers in attendance. 

β€œIt is my sincere belief that these layoffs are unnecessary and out of step with both our financial reality and our mission to support students and families at the County Office of Education. The County Office should be looking at tightening spending on contracting out, consultants, and legal fees, instead of targeting frontline educators and staff. These cuts would dismantle services families rely on –  mental health, early education, special education –  at a time when students need more support, not less. So I support the broader community’s demands and of those here today. Pause the layoffs, bring transparency to this process, and reverse these cuts.” Tara Sreekrishnan, SCCOE Trustee 

β€œGiven the organization’s consistently high carry-over funds from year to year, and suspiciously high funding allocations, we believe SCCOE has significant available funds to continue employing education workers and providing essential services to our students and our community. These DOGE-like cuts are arbitrary and capricious and will decimate our Santa Clara County Office of Education public education system that ensures all students, especially the most vulnerable, can access critical services that impact their educational trajectory and ability to break the cycle of poverty. ” Sarah Gianocaro, SEIU 521 SCCOE Chapter President

They called for the immediate rescission of more than 250 layoffs, which disproportionately affect Special Education (SPED), Head Start, Migrant Education, and other essential student supportive services. Workers called on newly appointed Superintendent Dr. David M. Toston to immediately rescind all layoff notices and commit to maintaining the programs that support over 5,000 of the county’s most vulnerable students.

β€œThe latest enrollment data shows that 92% of our 1,207 Head Start families currently receiving Head Start services from SCCOE and its grant partners are truly the neediest families in our counties. That equals approximately to over 1,100 children and families across Santa Clara and San Benito counties that will suffer a disruption of critical services for the neediest children and families. Families will scramble to find preschool services, be forced to stay home, and miss work to provide child care.” Stated Veronica Arellano, SEIU 521 SCCOE Head Start Family Advocate.

The press conference followed extensive community outcry at a recent SCCOE board hearing, where educators exposed the devastating consequences of the layoffsβ€”including risks of potentially violating federal mandates like the Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) for students with disabilities. 

The layoffs come amid widespread concern that SCCOE is using the federal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as a scapegoat, blaming “funding uncertainty” despite clear budget growth and no credible financial necessity. Letters of support from community leadersβ€”including U.S. Representative Ro Khannaβ€”have been ignored, and district leadership has refused to provide transparency around inflated spending lines. Despite receiving a $33.5 million federal Head Start grant in January and running multimillion-dollar surpluses, SCCOE leadership continues to pursue the cuts while inflating consulting budgets and allocating $88 million in new spending for 2024–2025.

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SEIU Local 521 represents 73,000 public- and nonprofit-sector workers throughout California’s Bay Area, Central Coast, and Central Valley. Through our Community First vision, we are committed to putting the needs of working families and vital public services at the heart of policy and practice.