The morning after the Eaton fire broke out in Southern California, Sergio Lopez and his father returned to Altadena in a last-ditch effort to save their property. As powerful winds sent embers flying across their neighborhood, the father and son tried to douse the property with a garden hose.
But as the fire crept closer, they had no choice but to flee. The house was destroyed.
Not long after, more bad news came. Mr. Lopez, a teacher at John Muir High School in Pasadena, Calif., was at an academic conference in Sacramento when he got a phone call from the principal. He was being laid off.
Seven weeks after losing his home, he was told he was losing his job.
Mr. Lopez is one of 151 workers with the Pasadena Unified School District who received layoff notices this year. And he’s one of a dozen teachers who both lost their homes during the Eaton fire and are preparing to lose their jobs when the school year ends.
“After losing my home, my classroom was basically all I owned,” Mr. Lopez said. “Everything that I had owned after the fire was left inside my classroom.”
Layoff notices across California school districts are typical early in the calendar year. But in a school district where thousands of students and employees were forced to evacuate during the wildfire, the layoff notices in Pasadena have been a heavy blow, a crisis upon crisis for many families.
Some students who lost their homes will now lose their favorite teachers. Some teachers who’ve been displaced for months are now losing a colleague. Some administrators who have struggled to forge a sense of unity and normalcy are now dealing with more tension and uncertainty.
At a school board meeting in late March, many students spoke during the public comment period to show support for their teachers, pleading with district officials to reconsider the layoffs. Some students brought signs reading “Save Our Teachers” and “Students Deserve Stability.”
One sophomore at Pasadena High School described a math teacher as not just an educator but a “mentor and guide.” Another student at James Madison Elementary School said her family had been affected by the fires and that the layoffs were creating more stress for students.
“I just want to say this,” she said. “This is a very poor choice.”
When Mr. Lopez, 27, was back in front of his students after receiving the layoff notice, he planned to power through the lesson without mentioning it.
“I saw them, and I just couldn’t do it,” Mr. Lopez said. “I just broke down, and I told them the news. They were disappointed. They were upset.”
While much of the city of Pasadena emerged unscathed from the Eaton fire, many students, teachers and employees in the school district lived in nearby Altadena, which bore the brunt of the fire. Ninety teachers within the district lost their homes, according to the United Teachers of Pasadena, the union that represents the teachers.
A spokeswoman for the Pasadena school district did not respond to multiple requests seeking an interview with Elizabeth Blanco, the superintendent.
In a March 26 guest editorial published in a district newsletter, Ms. Blanco wrote that she understood the desire to support students and teachers. “However, we also face the reality that without cuts, we would face an even more severe fiscal situation next year,” Ms. Blanco wrote.
By combining federal money, fire recovery funds and other adjustments, the Pasadena Unified School District was able to create 25 new positions for “teacher on special assignment” roles to help soften the blow of the layoffs. Ms. Blanco said that workers who have received layoff notices can apply for those positions.
By the end of the school year, many notices are often rescinded after districts confirm their budgets and assess staffing needs. As of Thursday, three layoff notices had been rescinded, according to the union.
The layoffs have shaken young teachers and those who are new to the district, including Consuelo Martinez, 27, who taught at Muir High for two years and received a layoff notice in March.
Ms. Martinez’s home was not affected by the fire, but she has tried to support co-workers and students who lost homes or were displaced, setting up racks of donated clothes in her classroom.
“After the fires, for a lot of them, coming back to school was like trying to get into normalcy and community and support,” Ms. Martinez said of students. “And now they see something being taken away from them that was helping them feel safe.”
The layoff notice wasn’t a first for some teachers, including Mr. Lopez. He also received one last year. It was ultimately rescinded and he kept his job. But now, he said, it’s harder to be optimistic that he’ll be able to stay on, in the district where he grew up and went to school himself.
“This year, it feels really different,” Mr. Lopez said. “There’s way more uncertainty.”
He has been busy sorting out his plans — where to live, and how to navigate insurance claims and whether he’ll rebuild on the property.
“It’s been a lot to navigate and juggle,” he said.
Owens Ordonez, 27, who teaches biology and environmental science at Muir High, was told by the district last month he was being laid off. In the weeks since, his friends encouraged him to update his résumé and start applying for jobs, but he said preparing for next steps was more difficult after he was displaced by the fire.
Mr. Ordonez’s home in Altadena survived the flames, but he has been unable to live there because of smoke damage.
Then he received a bit of good news last week: His layoff notice had been rescinded. He will keep his job for the next school year.
The news brought mixed emotions. “I don’t think I rejoiced,” he said. “I was just once again in shock. I felt kind of guilty.”
Jesus Jiménez is a Times reporter covering Southern California. More about Jesus Jiménez
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