California school districts are in full panic mode right now. Thousands of educators and support staff just got pink slips, those preliminary layoff notices that basically say “you might lose your job”. The culprit? A perfect storm of declining enrollment, rising costs, and the end of pandemic funding that’s left districts scrambling to balance their budgets.

Here’s what’s going down: districts across the state lost both student attendance funding and those federal COVID dollars that kept them afloat during the pandemic. Meanwhile, pensions, healthcare, supplies, and special education costs keep climbing. The result is that some districts are basically on the brink of insolvency, and they’re making what one California School Boards Association official called “hatchet-type cuts”.

The strategy seems pretty clear, protect teachers at all costs, and cut everyone else. Sacramento City Unified sent layoff notices to 800 employees, mostly classified staff like clerks and administrative assistants. Everyone in their district office got a pink slip, including the interim superintendent. Los Angeles Unified is planning to lay off 3,200 employees to save about $250 million and close an $877 million deficit. Oakland Unified could cut up to two-thirds of its central office staff plus counselors, case managers, and attendance clerks.

But here’s the thing: despite these efforts to shield them, over 1,900 teachers still got pink slips. Some districts are hitting teachers hard too. Long Beach Unified, Santa Clara Unified, and Pasadena Unified all planned significant teacher layoffs alongside classified staff cuts.

The real problem? This is an annual nightmare that’s absolutely wrecking people’s lives. School employees are working paycheck to paycheck, and getting a pink slip every year, even if it gets rescinded by May, creates serious instability. According to the California School Employees Association, which represents about 240,000 classified school staff, at least 2,700 of its members got pink slips by the March 15 deadline.

San Diego Unified actually managed to protect both teachers and classified staff by locking in a contract that prohibits layoffs for the 2026-27 school year. Other districts? Not so much. When classified employees get cut, students lose more than just services, they lose trusted adults like bus drivers, custodians, and office staff who build real relationships with them.

The anxiety is real. These workers are looking for stability and frankly, many are probably starting to look for more stable jobs elsewhere. That means experienced, dedicated people are leaving the education system because they can’t afford the uncertainty. It’s a vicious cycle that hurts students, communities, and the educators themselves.