CCUSD Board to consider position cuts for 2026-27

Items under consideration by the Culver City Unified School District Board of Education at tonight’s Special Board Meeting could result in the District cutting 24 positions for the 2026-27 school year as part of continued austerity measures to address budget issues. This meeting, being held at the District’s Office at 4034 Irving Pl., will start at 6 p.m. and can be viewed by the public both in person and on Zoom.

These cuts include 15 certificated employees and nine classified employees. Among the cuts to teacher positions are four full-time K-5 Elementary School educators, three math teachers, and two language arts teachers. The resolutions also recommend cutting student support services by eliminating three mental health counselors, two psychologists, and one nurse position.

CCUSD has worked to cut spending and correct its fiscal course for more than a year, but there is still work to be done. Notably, the City of Culver City made a $2.5 million donation to the District which is subject to several conditions, including a parcel tax to be placed on the November ballot to generate revenue.

Even if this parcel tax measure — which can be qualified for the ballot by the District or through a citizen's initiative — is enacted by Culver City voters, the District would not receive the funds until late 2027 due to how property taxes are collected and distributed in California.

Citizen group takes first step in initiative process

Excellence for Culver City Schools submitted documents to begin the process of gathering signatures to qualify a sliding scale parcel tax measure for the 2026 General Election Ballot

Culver CrescentChristian May-Suzuki

There are qualifications outlined in the resolution that will determine which teachers will be prioritized for retention. In particular, it states that teachers with Transitional Kindergarten (TK) teaching certification and those qualified to teach Language Immersion courses will be prioritized for retention when considering these cuts.

Additionally, the resolution outlines how seniority will be considered when deciding among employees in a particular position.

For a teacher to be retained over another in the same subject group with less seniority, that longer tenured teacher must be “both credentialed and competent to render the service being performed by the junior employee,” according to the resolution. In addition to possessing appropriate teaching and subject-matter credentials, a senior employee must have taught in the position they are being retained to teach for at least one complete school year within the last five years.

These teachers must also have met any additional requirements of their positions, such as possessing a full English Learner (EL) authorization, to be considered senior teachers for retention purposes over junior employees.

This move comes as additional panic set in across the community in recent days about the status of Culver City High School’s Academy of Visual and Performing Arts, sparked by rumors that the program could be cut completely. Flyers were distributed throughout the community stating that the program was in danger of being eliminated, prompting the AVPA to issue an official statement dissociating itself from the flyers.

In a full statement posted to their website Monday, AVPA President Deanna Newell said her concerns were quelled by a message from Superintendent Dr. Alfonso Jiménez to the District community stating that AVPA cuts were not on the table.

“Given the Superintendent’s Friday clarification, we no longer believe it is necessary for families to attend the March 3 special school board meeting in-person to address concerns about AVPA potentially being eliminated,” Newell’s statement reads.

To view tonight’s meeting on Zoom, click the link here. For those logging in with Zoom, use the following credentials to join the meeting:

Meeting ID: 894 7342 8096

Meeting Password: DHn4Ed