Headlines

Santa Clara County laid off Head Start teachers and staff amid uncertainty over whether the federal government will continue to pay for the program.

Head Start is a federal preschool program for children living below the federal poverty line. The program run by Santa Clara serves about 1200 children, including infants, toddlers and preschoolers.

Napa Valley Unified School District has spent the last five years in cost-cutting mode — closing schools, reducing staff and managing declining enrollment.

The school board is expected to vote Thursday night on cutting 34 staff positions — 10 full-time certificated roles and 24 classified positions, most of them part-time. If approved, affected certificated employees must be notified by Saturday.

The Bellevue Union School District board is preparing to send pink slips to more than 40 teachers and staff members this week.

The cuts were approved in February and affect 14 different position categories, including teachers, office assistants, family engagement facilitators, literacy paraprofessionals, instructional assistants, student supervisors and counselors.

The Modesto City Schools Board of Education unanimously approved a plan Monday to reduce or eliminate classified and classified management positions for the upcoming school year. The decision affects 39 classified employees and seven classified management positions, including campus supervisors, site coaches and school support managers.

School districts across the Bay Area are facing financial crises from declining enrollment, with many turning to school closures or widespread layoffs in an effort to plug multimillion-dollar budget holes and avoid running out of cash.