The Administrative Law Judge Decision in the matter of the reduction in force of certain certificated teachers employed by San Diego Unified School District was released Tuesday, May 6. The judge determined that the district’s actions were reasonable, correct, transparent and compliant with the State Education Code. The affected teachers will receive a hard copy of the decision through the US mail.

The judge’s ruling does not diminish the difficulty of issuing lay-off notices to our teachers. It does state that there was nothing arbitrary or capricious about these actions. The Administrative Law Judge indicated that a school district cannot determine the level of state funding it will receive until the state budget is passed, which often occurs after the June 30 district budget deadline. The District must take steps toward creating a balanced budget, often based on worst-case scenario. California’s current economic crisis has made budgeting problems far more complicated than before.

Read the complete decision