Another De Anza College staff member will be laid off as of Dec. 31 due to a lack of funding in the district budget. Adding to the list of least 50 other positions terminated as of June 30.
At an Oct. 4 Board of Trustees meeting, members of the board decided to eliminate the position of graphic design technician, currently held by De Anza employee Bonnett Saussol.
The position was considered for termination during a prior round of district layoffs due to a suffering budget on April 5, when the board eliminated the positions of 24 full-time and 31 part-time hourly classified employees.
Due to the number of staff already laid off, the district decided to temporarily postpone the termination of the position. After a continued amount of budget difficulties, the Board eventually decided to eliminate the position.
Saussol was laid off according to Education Code 88117 and 88127, as well as Article 11 of the agreement between the district and the Association of Classified Employees. These codes state that classified employees will be laid off if there is a lack of funds or lack of work, but will be considered in preference to new applicants in the possibility of re-employment.
Saussol has been working in the Marketing and Communications office, which promotes De Anza College, as well as informs the public of the events and programs at the college. Saussol is the only full–time graphic design technician in her office as well as on campus. Her job entails the coordination and production of many projects, including the yearly De Anza College catalog, which lists and describes all the programs available at the college, as well as the schedule of classes which Saussol composed quarterly.
After hearing from the Human Resources department about being laid off, Saussol was told that only a position from the Marketing and Communications department were being removed Saussol said that she was not surprised by the news, because she “had been on the list for one and a half years,” Saussol was first informed about being placed on the list in May of 2009.
Saussol is in contact with her union, ACE, where she will learn more about her options. ACE has been trying to stop Saussol’s termination, and is looking for other possibilities for her to remain employed by the district.
