In Santa Clara County’s special education classrooms, the stress is getting hard to hide. Teachers say they are nearing a breaking point as another round of cuts to county-run programs looms, warning that dozens of layoffs and ballooning caseloads could hit students with the highest medical and behavioral needs first. Educators fear preschoolers and medically fragile children will lose crucial one-on-one support and see fewer chances to learn alongside peers at their neighborhood schools.
What’s Being Cut
According to San José Spotlight, the Santa Clara County Office of Education plans to eliminate eight special education classes for preschoolers, medically fragile students and others across six sites for the 2026-27 school year. Union leaders told the outlet that the reductions translate to roughly 31 layoffs, and they warn that the number could climb as preliminary notices move through other departments.
Classrooms Under Strain
For staff already juggling intense student needs, the prospect of fewer colleagues and larger caseloads feels like a gut punch. Sarah Gianocaro, an occupational therapist who has worked for the county for two decades, told San José Spotlight that one preschool class she supports includes seven students with significant medical diagnoses, and two of those students have full-time nurses.
“Now hours are spent putting out fires,” Gianocaro said, describing how staff are pulled into constant medical and behavior management, which squeezes the time left for actual instruction.
Why the Cuts
In a statement from the Santa Clara County Office of Education, officials said expiring state and federal grants, rising costs and declining enrollment are driving the staffing changes. The agency said it expects roughly $74.6 million in grant reductions and reported that special education enrollment dropped from 1,026 students in 2023-24 to 916 in 2024-25, with a projection of about 796 in the coming years. SCCOE says those figures require realigning programs in order to stay financially solvent.
Union And Community Response
Local teacher groups, parents and advocates are urging county leaders to look for options that do not start with pink slips. They argue that continuity in special education classrooms is hard to build and easy to break, especially for students who rely on predictable routines and long-term relationships with staff.
Riju Krishna, president of the Association of County Educators, is listed on ACE’s leadership roster and has been among the organizers raising alarms about the plan; see the Association of County Educators for the union’s contacts. Reporting last year shows SEIU and other labor chapters mobilized around related Head Start and early education cuts, underscoring broader concern in the community and what is at stake for low-income families, according to KQED.
Board Decision Looms
The Santa Clara County Board of Education meets regularly and is scheduled for several sessions in June, the period when the county typically finalizes the next fiscal year’s budget, according to the Santa Clara County Office of Education. County officials say they are providing transition workshops and resources for impacted employees as they navigate funding uncertainty, and that any final staffing decisions will be set when the board adopts the 2026-27 budget.
