Redlands News | May 14, 2026
Police also investigated overnight vehicle burglaries, recovered a live grenade and arrested a man wanted on a Riverside County felony warrant.
Old California Botanicals earns international honors while spotlighting Redlands’ citrus heritage on a global stage
Library staff, special education aides and student health workers among positions affected as district continues budget reductions for the 2026-27 school year.
REDLANDS, Calif. — The Redlands Unified School Board finalized layoffs for 19 employees in nonteaching positions Tuesday, including elementary library paraprofessionals, special education aides and student health staff, as part of ongoing district budget reductions.
Why it matters: The layoffs stems from resolutions approved by the board in January and February authorizing reductions to 52 classified positions for the 2026-27 school year. District administrators later reduced the number of affected positions to 44.
Details: According to the district’s final layoff resolution, 43 classified employees received preliminary layoff notices in March. Thirty employees waived their right to a hearing, while 13 requested hearings before an administrative law judge. The judge upheld the layoffs in a proposed decision issued May 5.
Two employees who had originally been included in the process later resigned. Two others transitioned into new positions within the district and therefore will not receive final layoff notices.
Employees receiving final layoff notices include library paraprofessionals across multiple elementary and secondary schools, special education behavior assistants, instructional paraprofessionals, a licensed vocational nurse and a health care technician.
Positions eliminated:
An additional 20 employees will see assignment changes, including reductions in hours or reclassification into different roles, many of which shift into instructional paraprofessional positions within special education. In some cases, employees will retain the same classification but at reduced time. In others, they will transition into lower-range positions or new departments.
“Your final lay off resolution for classified staff seals the fate of our elementary school libraries,” district parent Katherine Appleby said during the May 12 meeting. “RUSD has spent money buying books for the elementary libraries. Without library staff, those books will sit unread, collecting dust.”
Moving forward: The layoffs become effective July 1, 2026, at the close of the current fiscal year. District officials say reemployment rights will apply to eligible employees if positions become available in the future, in accordance with state law.
Sign up for our weekly newsletter
