'Doom and gloom' for WUESD

WUESD Superintendent Kelly Richers is looking at the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic and the empty classrooms its created – and what he sees is not good.

"It's doom and gloom for the next couple of years."

Since schools are paid for each student's daily attendance, and schools are now closed for at least two months, a lot of income has been lost.

"We are sure funding will be cut significantly, but the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) will probably stay similar to what we have for next year," Richers said in an email. "The following year (2021-2022) will almost assuredly see deep cuts; however, it is too late to give notices of certificated layoffs for the coming year, so we will not be cutting significantly -- just moving money around where allowed."

At Tuesday's board meeting, the Wasco Union Elementary School District eliminated one uncredentialed position and will move another classified position around to accommodate the district's needs.

At its meeting on Tuesday night, the board unanimously voted to eliminate a special education aide, since their sole responsibility was for a student who is graduating eighth grade and moving onto high school.

A migrant outreach aide will be moved to another position, since the need is seasonal and there is a full-time migrant outreach employee already in place.