Fresno Unified offers early retirement to cut costs

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- On Wednesday night, six members of the Fresno Unified School Board passed a question to determination guardant with a supplementary status plan.

Only 1 subordinate abstained.

Moments earlier the vote, Member Elizabeth Johasson Rosas shared her reasons for breaking with the board.

"I bash privation to proceed with caution arsenic this could person unintended consequences," she said.

Fresno Unified is already contending with challenges successful a post-COVID world.

In the authorities of California, districts are funded based connected mean regular attendance. Currently, the District says it's down 820 students less than past year.

"As the territory has been experiencing declining enrollment, we felt similar this was a bully clip from a fiscal position to marque this offer," said Patrick Jensen, FUSD Chief Financial Officer.

The territory says it's down astir $30M dollars a twelvemonth conscionable from students being successful people little than they were anterior to COVID.

"It's a mode to trim expenses portion besides honoring the work of our long-time employees," said Jensen.

That connection includes a one-time program for the District's 1,900 qualified employees who conscionable circumstantial criteria: 55 years and older who person fixed 5 consecutive years of work to the district.

That database of individuals includes classified employees specified arsenic autobus drivers, nutrient work workers arsenic good arsenic teachers, supervisors and managers.

"What each worker volition get if they were to judge this is that implicit the people of the adjacent 5 years, they're going to get successful full 80% of their wage for this year. So that breaks down astatine 16% of your last wage each twelvemonth implicit the adjacent 5 years," said President Manuel Bonilla of the Fresno Teachers Association.

"The worker besides has different options to widen that implicit a play of clip truthful it tin spell from 5 years astatine the minimum up to a lifetime," said Jensen.

The Fresno Teachers Association represents astir 4,700 employees passim the district. Union President Bonilla says the determination is simply a triumph for some educators and the District.

"The District gets to prevention money; our educators and each employees get an inducement arsenic they leave," said Bonilla.

Fresno Unified says it volition cognize conscionable however galore employees volition judge the program connected December 5.

Two weeks later, the District volition ballot connected whether to o.k. oregon rescind the plan.

Should it pass, employees person until the past time of June to resign.

For quality updates, travel Christina Lopez connected Facebook, X and Instagram.