Schools

TVHS Drama Students Lash Out Over Proposed District Layoffs

Board members voted to issue the notices, but TVUSD assistant superintendent of Human Resources Development Henry Voros explained there is a good chance many of the layoffs may be rescinded.

Hundreds packed the Temecula Valley Unified School District headquarters Tuesday night for the regularly scheduled governing board meeting that included a packed agenda.

Much of the audience turned out to hear whether the district would send out pink slips to nearly 50 employees.

Board members voted to issue the notices, but TVUSD assistant superintendent of Human Resources Development Henry Voros explained there is a good chance many of the layoffs may be rescinded.

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According to Voros, under law the district must issue layoff notices by May 15 for the upcoming school year, but officials do not have to make the cuts if money is found to keep the positions intact. The notices are being issued in anticipation of Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget due out next month.

Even though the cuts are not absolute, about 70 people turned out in support of Temecula Valley High School drama teacher Derek Heid. He is among the district employees on the chopping block. Several students from the school’s drama department donned black and red “Sweeney Todd” T-shirts, in a show of support for Heid. The gala performance of “Sweeney Todd” was staged May 2 at the newly constructed Golden Bears Theater on the TVHS campus.

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“There is a family within this program,” said TVHS senior and drama student Karamia Link. She attributed the tight knit TVHS drama community to Heid and provided the governing board with a petition that included 900 TVHS student signatures protesting the drama leader’s layoff.

“We gathered those in one day,” she said of the signatures.

Several people in the audience joined Link in speaking against Heid’s layoff saying he is a great teacher who brings ownership of the new theater to the students.

Heid has been with the school’s drama department for four years and watched the new theater’s construction. He complimented the students in the program, and argued the layoffs are nothing but “a numbers game.”

According to Voros, the pink slips are issued based on seniority and credentials.

“It has nothing to do with performance,” he said.

Voros also explained the layoffs are “in no way final.”

“I do believe there will be some [rescinds] prior to May 15 and certainly after May 15,” he said.

It’s not clear whether Heid’s job will be saved, but this is not the first time the teacher has gone through this.

Each year, his job has been on the line.

“Who is putting the kids through this continually?”


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