IRVINE : Budget Strain Eased as Teachers Accept Early Retirement

The possibility of massive layoffs in the Irvine Unified School District has diminished somewhat because of an unexpectedly large number of employees lured by early retirement incentives.

The 21,700-student district has sent notices of potential layoffs to 120 teachers, 30 administrators and 95 classified employees.

School board members are scheduled to adopt the district’s tentative budget Tuesday. It calls for $2.2 million in cuts from next school year’s $100-million budget.

Interim Supt. Dean Waldfogel said a number of the district’s more experienced employees have chosen early retirement, which will probably cause a “significant” reduction in the number of layoffs. Waldfogel would not specify the number of retiring administrative and classified employees.

Steve Garretson, president of the Irvine Teachers Assn., said 22 teachers have taken early retirement so far. The 120 who received the notices are classified as temporary teachers, hired on a year-to-year basis. Although some temporary teaching positions will be eliminated, Garretson said, most of the displaced teachers should be able to find other positions in the district.

“Everyone right now is hopeful that the vast majority of the temporary teachers will be returning in September,” Garretson said. “But a lot of that will be up in the air until the governor’s budget is approved.”

Although the early retirement option will ease layoffs, the school district will lose many of its most experienced educators.

“The minimum length of service required for early retirement is 15 years, but most of the teachers we are losing have 20, 25 and even 30 years’ experience,” Garretson said. “Those are big shoes to fill.”