San Diego, CA
San Diego Unified rescinds almost all potential teacher layoffs
The San Diego Unified School District announced it has rescinded all but nine of the 234 notices of potential layoffs it said it issued to teachers in March.
However, about 60 classified, or non-teaching, employees are still set to be laid off, SDUSD board President Shana Hazan said May 16.
Elementary school teachers, counselors and secondary teachers in English, physical education and social science were spared from being laid off, according to the San Diego Unified teachers union, which had rallied against the cuts over the past several weeks.
To rescind the layoffs, the district struck a deal with the union May 14 to create “student support” jobs at high-needs schools for up to 50 educators who would otherwise be laid off, said Kyle Weinberg, president of the union, the San Diego Education Association. Those student support educators will provide small-group instruction or fill in for early-childhood staffing vacancies in transitional kindergarten classrooms.
The district and the union said the agreement was meant to help preserve staffing stability in schools. The deal also preserves pay levels for the student support teachers, Weinberg said.
The district and the union said the agreement was meant to help preserve staffing stability in schools. The deal also preserves pay levels for the student support teachers, Weinberg said.
Having educators in the student support positions also gives the district flexibility to call on them if regular classroom teaching vacancies open during the school year without having to incur costs of hiring temporary contract staff, Weinberg wrote in a message to union members May 16.
“The superintendent was adamant about this additional flexibility,” he wrote.
In March, the SDUSD board voted to eliminate the equivalent of more than 480 jobs to help close what was projected to be a $94 million budget deficit for next school year. Those jobs included classroom teachers, central office administrators and many kinds of classified jobs, including special-education support, bus drivers, custodians and noon-duty assistants.
The district employs about 12,000 people, and employee costs make up more than 90 percent of its unrestricted budget.
Every year by mid-March, school districts are required by law to issue notices to anyone they may potentially lay off for the following school year, and they have until May 15 to finalize layoffs.
Because mid-March is relatively early in the state budget cycle, districts often are able to rescind many layoffs by mid-May once they get a better idea of their budget outlook for the following school year.
“There’s this mismatch in timing between when we are required to give pink slips, this March 15 date, and the time required to really do the thoughtful financial analysis,” Hazan said.
Besides the union agreement, the district was able to avoid more layoffs because of employee reassignments and transfers to vacant positions, as well as voluntary resignations and retirements, according to Hazan. She also said the district is able to use grant funding and money from restricted funds to help reduce the number.
“The fact that of all the teachers who received layoff notices, there are only nine that remain is a huge testament to the really tireless work that our fiscal and instructional team has done to align our goals for students with available dollars,” Hazan said. ◆
The U.S. military identified a Minnesota Marine stationed in Southern California who went missing off San Diego last week, and confirmed his death.
Lance Cpl. Armando Ortiz Canseco was declared deceased Saturday. It is believed he was lost at sea after a training exercise.
“On behalf of the Marines and sailors of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, I extend our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Lance Cpl. Ortiz Canseco,” Col. Richard Alvarez, the commanding officer of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, said in a statement.
Ortiz Canseco was reported missing from the amphibious transport dock ship USS Anchorage early Thursday morning. His disappearance resulted in an extensive search and rescue operation, with efforts beginning around 1:20 a.m. Thursday.
The search spanned roughly 2,400 square miles and involved officials from the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Air Force who used three surface ships and 12 aircraft, according to the military.
The Marine went missing during a training operation involving the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit and the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group.
After nearly two full days of searching, the Navy transitioned to recovery operations.
“He earned the title of United States Marine and served his country with honor and commitment,” Alvarez said. “We mourn alongside his family, and we remain committed to bringing him home.”
This incident marks the second time in recent weeks that the U.S. military has searched for missing service members.
The remains of two Army soldiers who went missing while off duty from military exercises in Morocco were recovered in May, according to the Army.
Officials did not initially identify Ortiz Canseco on Thursday or disclose the circumstances surrounding his disappearance, saying his family needed to be notified first.
His death continues to be under investigation.
Ortiz Canseco enlisted in the Marine Corps in April 2023 and reported for training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego.
His individual awards include the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
Times staff writer Alene Tchekmedyian contributed to this report.
Blink, and you might miss it.
Adobe Falls isn’t Niagara Falls — or anything close — but after winter rains, a seasonal waterfall briefly appears in a narrow Del Cerro canyon, hidden beneath streets, homes, and San Diego State University property.
The waterfall forms along Alvarado Creek, which drains parts of eastern San Diego, including the SDSU area and surrounding neighborhoods. In wet months, runoff moves through a steep canyon and drops over a short rock ledge known locally as Adobe Falls. In dry periods, the flow often fades to a trickle or disappears entirely, leaving exposed sandstone and a shaded canyon bed.
What makes the site stand out is its setting. Above the canyon are Del Cerro residential streets and university property tied to San Diego State. Below it, Alvarado Creek continues west as part of the Mission Valley watershed, eventually feeding into the San Diego River system. Like many urban drainages in San Diego, its flow is shaped by stormwater runoff, paved surfaces, and altered drainage patterns tied to development.
Access is restricted. The canyon sits on a mix of SDSU and city-managed land and has long been closed to the public due to safety concerns, including steep terrain, erosion, and unstable footing after rain. Although widely referenced in maps and online posts, it is not an official trail or recreation site.
The canyon itself pre-dates modern development in Del Cerro. It is part of a broader network of inland waterways and canyon corridors used for thousands of years by the Kumeyaay, whose presence shaped movement and settlement patterns across the region.
In the mid-20th century, as Del Cerro developed, homes and roads were built along canyon rims rather than through them, leaving Alvarado Creek intact as a drainage system. Adobe Falls remained within that corridor even as surrounding hillsides filled with residential and institutional development.
Today, Adobe Falls remains a small but persistent reminder that San Diego’s natural drainage systems still function within a heavily built environment — appearing briefly after storms, then receding back into the canyon until the next rain.
Read more history stories here, and do you have a story to tell? Send an email to DebbieSklar@cox.net.
Sources:
City of San Diego – Stormwater & Watershed Division (Alvarado Creek / Mission Valley watershed)
San Diego State University – planning and environmental impact documentation for adjacent canyon areas
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) – San Diego County watershed and hydrology mapping (Alvarado Creek / San Diego River system context)
San Diego History Center – Kumeyaay regional land use and inland canyon corridor history
City of San Diego Planning Department – land use records and access restrictions for Adobe Falls area
California State Historic Landmark files – Adobe Falls (Landmark No. 80)
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