Speakers Urge Cypress School Board to 'Keep the Cuts Away from our Kids'
Trustees could vote on authorizing layoffs at their Feb. 12 meeting to close a $3.3 million budget gap for next school year.
The Cypress School District is trying to figure out how to close a projected $3.3 million budget gap for the 2026-27 school year. Parents, teachers, staff, and school board members all say they want to balance the budget without eliminating positions or programs that directly impact students. But that is proving difficult as 83% of the district’s budget is devoted to personnel.
“No matter how we look at it, there is going to be a pinch of some sort,” Board President Lydia Sondhi, Ph.D., told attendees at the close of the January 20 meeting of the board after district staff presented a preliminary budget reduction plan. Dr. Sondhi also made it a point to assure the public that the board was still in “the middle of the process,” adding, “We're still in a movement towards that decision-making [of] ultimately what is going to happen.”
The plan outlined at the Jan. 20 meeting by Assistant Superintendent Larry Ferchaw calls for eliminating 19 certificated positions, including several teaching jobs, for estimated savings of more than $1.6 million. The district is also proposing cutting more than a dozen classified positions, including three custodians and all of the health clerks and library clerks at the district’s six TK-6 campuses to save more than $1.2 million. The proposal also includes slashing $600,000 in spending on supplies and services.
“These are fairly deep reductions that we are talking about, and we want to be sensitive to the fact that … those have the potential to have a significant impact on the employees and the students of the district,” Ferchaw stated.
Assistant Superintendent Larry Ferchaw and Executive Director of Human Resources/Induction Tracy Mouren-Laurens went over the proposed budget reduction plan at the Jan. 20 Cypress School Board meeting.
The district, which already estimated spending $3 million in one-time funds to balance this year’s budget, cites declining enrollment as a main reason for its financial struggles. The district currently serves around 3,200 preschool through sixth grade students from Cypress, Buena Park, and La Palma. According to Ferchaw, that number is expected to decline by 125 students next school year. "With fewer students, the district’s projected funding does not keep pace with the rising cost of continued operations each year," reads a statement from the district issued on Jan. 16.
Ferchaw shared a list of 22 potential budget reductions that were discussed and ranked by a budget advisory committee. The same list was also ranked by principals at the school sites. The committee ranked the “reduction of services contracts” as number one, while principals ranked “reductions to District Office clerical/support positions” as the top option to cut costs. Other options included in the list were implementing energy conservation measures and eliminating teacher on special assignment (T.O.S.A.) positions.
A vote on a resolution authorizing layoffs is expected at the board’s Feb. 12 meeting, with layoff notices required to be distributed by March 13. There will still be discussion of additional layoffs occurring throughout March and April, and resolutions will be finalized by May 14. Some layoffs may be rescinded “if more funding becomes available or costs decrease.” All employees who are affected by May 14 will be “placed on a 39-month rehire list,” with “bumping rights” to be rehired for their previous positions, or ones like it.
Ferchaw cautioned that the district’s budget is dynamic, characterizing the situation as “a constantly evolving process.” At the December 11, 2025 board meeting, trustees approved the 2025-26 First Interim Budget Report with a "qualified" status, indicating the district "may not be able to meet its financial obligations in the current or subsequent two fiscal years." That is partly because the district predicted it would not have the legally required amount in reserves. That has triggered increased fiscal oversight from the Orange County Department of Education. More intervention at the county and state level could come if the budget situation is not improved.
“Keep the cuts away from our kids”
At the Jan. 20 meeting, several speakers voiced concerns about the proposal to slash jobs and programs.
“The proposed layoffs by the district are irresponsible,” Barbara Fernandez, the health clerk at Luther Elementary, told the board during public comment. “What will happen to our students? Will there be a medical emergency missed, where it will be too late, resulting in a death? I ask the board to reconsider their decision and choose the safety and health of their students.”
Vessels Elementary sixth-grade teacher Andrea O’Gara pleaded with the board, “Please keep the cuts away from our kids.” She added, “Please be surgical. Look at each proposed cut carefully and ask one guiding question: how does this affect the children we serve?”
Later in the evening, parent Maria Calderon-Guzman asked why the cuts had to come from the school sites. “Why are we not examining salary reductions for district leadership, especially for those in the top 10% of earners?” she asked, drawing applause from attendees, many of whom were wearing Association of Cypress Teachers (ACT) apparel.
ACT President Candi Earley addressed the proposed job cuts during the union’s regularly scheduled agenda item. “There's been considerable discussion and speculation regarding how the district arrived at its current financial situation, but regardless of the circumstances, many educators feel that they are bearing the brunt of these reductions,” Earley said. “It's our sincere hope that the revised budget will be more favorable than expected and that the district will prioritize reinstating programs and positions that most directly support student learning and well-being.” In 2022, the board gave teachers a 9% pay raise at a cost of $19 million.
David N. Young
The representative for the classified staff union also spoke at the meeting. “Our classified employees are deeply committed to this district. They show up every day because they care about the students and families they serve,” California School Employees Association (CSEA) representative Alex Mehlbrech said. He added that CSEA remains committed to working with the district to “find solutions that protect students, preserve essential services and respect the people who make our schools run.”
Trustees seek reductions that do not impact staff or students
During the discussion portion of the proposed budget cuts, all five of the trustees and Superintendent Anne Silavs expressed a desire to minimize the impact to students.
Trustee Jaime Needham inquired about the number of secretaries at the district office. Ferchaw said that Cypress School District has fewer administrators than nearby districts and said a lot of the staff has taken on multiple roles in the recent past. “I know from experience that we run a very lean district operation, and you know the people who work here wear many hats,” he said.
Needham also stressed the need to explore other options for cutting costs and generating more revenue, including incentivizing retirements, or creating new programs to increase enrollment. “I know we've talked a little bit about dual language, but has there been any talk around, like, a STEM magnet or a GATE magnet or anything like that, where we'd service the neighborhood kids, but also pull in kids that maybe go to surrounding districts?” Needham asked.
Supt. Silavs responded that those programs take resources to launch that are limited right now. “We could always look to that in the future as another way to increase enrollment,” Silavs said. “But I think right now, those programs would all take an investment that maybe we don't have at the moment.”
Trustee Troy Tanaka asked if leadership had explored reducing executive compensation or bonuses. Silavs said that there are “no executive bonuses in Cypress School District.” She suggested, “if we need to find more money, there are opportunities to pursue furlough days … across our entire organization,” but noted that would require negotiations due to contracts.
Dr. Sondhi asked for a master list of all of the funds in the budget to better understand where money could possibly be moved around to help close the budget gap. She thanked all of the speakers for sharing their perspectives and invited them to send more suggestions.
“We hear you. We love you. We love our district. We love our kids,” Dr. Sondhi said. “Let's make sure that we do what's best [for] everybody.”
This story was written and reported by Emily Henderson and Jeannette Andruss.