Budget cuts in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District have left Dougherty Valley High School teachers dealing with larger class sizes, reduced resources and fears about job security. Teachers, librarians and counselors were among those most affected by last year’s $3.5 million in reductions, which raised concerns about students’ sense of connection in the classroom and staff morale.
English teacher Sarah Militante said she was among the teachers laid off in the 2024-25 school year before returning this fall in a part-time role.
“Up until three weeks before the school year started, I had lost my job, and it was devastating to lose my classroom that I had last year and to start over,” Militante revealed. “I’m so grateful that I’m back now, but I was really sad to leave.”
Militante added that the effects of the cuts are strong in the classroom, with English and other classes now expanding from about 32 to 36 students each. She explained how this can limit the one-on-one support she provides for students, pointing out that the uncertainty of losing her job, combined with the challenge of managing large groups, has weighed heavily on her.
“I would love to do one-on-one check-ins with each person,” she said, “but something that may have taken one day, it’s now going to take two or three days.”
Librarian Allison Hussenet described a similar feeling of uncertainty for the library staff, as her position was cut and reinstated multiple times before the school year began.
“I was gonna have to go teach at Monte Vista, then I got the library position back, and then, ‘just kidding,’” Hussenet recalled. “It was demoralizing, but we feel really grateful that we’re fully staffed this year.”
She added that, without two full-time librarians, the school would have lost certain programs and other support for English and health classes.
. This forced the staff to seek outside funding sources. Hussenet mentioned that the uncertainty and extra workload from those changes only increased the pressure on her team.
“There’s no way [Librarian Kerri Knapp] could do everything that we do on her own,” she explained. “But luckily, at Dougherty, we have a very supportive administration that understands the importance of the library.”
The cuts also shaped the transitions of teachers new to DVHS. English teacher John Hanavan, who previously taught at Gale Ranch Middle School, lost his position there during reductions before being reassigned to DVHS. Like Militante and Hussenet, Hanavan highlighted how stress was a major theme of last year’s budget cuts, but the school community helped him adjust.
“It worked out okay for me, but it’s challenging to see schools be put into a position where they can’t keep their staff,” Hanavan stated. “It probably isn’t working out well for everyone, and that’s a sad thing to know because educators deserve good lives.”
Hanavan speculated that the district had faced difficult decisions, since personnel and staff are among the greatest expenses. While he believes SRVUSD handled the situation better than some other Bay Area districts, the consequences in classrooms added another layer of stress to teachers due to the overwhelming workload.
“[Teachers] are feeling the strain of having classes that are overburdened,” he said. “It’s more stressful to run a class of 36 than a smaller class.”
According to the SRVUSD Board of Education’s budget reduction plan, the San Ramon Valley Education Association (SRVEA) teachers’ union accounted for more than 60% of the cuts.
“Last year we asked the district to think of other strategies,” Militante said. “Money could have come from other places, rather than cutting people who are face-to-face with [students] every day.”
Hussenet echoed that concern, noting that the doubt around the continuation of student support programs impacted not only staff members but also the student experience.
“Class sizes are much bigger, and I think that definitely has a direct effect on student connectedness to their class,” she mentioned. “Some of the programs most at risk for being cut are some of the most important.”
Hanavan proposed that clearer communication from the district could help teachers navigate those changes with less stress.
“It would have been better if they were really straightforward and reliable about what they’re going to give a teacher as an offer, because it was much too floppy, much too unclear,” he expanded.
Looking to the future, SRVUSD projects an additional $24 million in cuts for the 2025-26 school year. Militante said she now sees the challenge as adapting to the new reality of fewer staff and more students.
“Last year, there was just a wave of uncertainty and not knowing what this year was going to look like,” Militante reflected. “And then this year, it feels more like, how do we adapt? How do we move forward?”
Across different roles, DVHS teachers and librarians agreed that stress has been one of the hardest obstacles of the budget reductions. Still, many asserted that their focus remains on the students.
“Ultimately, it’s you guys that take the brunt of it,” Militante concluded. “If we’re not able to do our jobs well, then you aren’t able to learn.”
