Aptos High School library/media technician Cheryl Nickel said further cuts to school libraries would have a huge impact. (Photos by Tarmo Hannula)

The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday made another round of cuts, slashing just more than $5 million from a district already hemorrhaging from eight years of cuts.

Elementary school assistant principals, middle school counselors, high school clerks and the district transportation department were among the areas that were impacted.

Kindergarten through third-grade class sizes will increase to 28 students, and the ranks of school nurses will be reduced.

Left untouched was Watsonville/Aptos Adult Education, which was facing a reduction of $1.6 million from its general fund — on top of the $650,000 cut it took in December.

“The adult education staff is relieved, but even more so, the students are glad they still have a school and are looking forward to attending classes,” director Nancy Bilicich said.

Board president Libby Wilson stressed that the decisions were necessary.

“It’s not what we want to do,” she said, “but it’s the only way to muddle through this.”

Also dodging the budgetary bullet were school libraries, which were facing the loss of their library media technicians and likely closure.

Wilson, along with Superintendent Dorma Baker, said that the district is legally bound to balance the budget. Failing to do so can result in sanctions from the Santa Cruz County Office of Education and from the state, she said.

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