"I've been in classes that have a lot of kids, and it's hard to understand anything," she said.
Rialto Unified has made some recent academic gains, and its superintendent worries that deep cuts could stall progress. The district scored a 661 on California's latest Academic Performance Index, below the state's target of 800; the API measures schools and districts on student scores in math, English and other subjects.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Friday, March 07, 2008 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 41 words Type of Material: Correction
Teacher layoffs: An article in Monday's California section about the possibility that teachers could be laid off in the Rialto Unified School District said that the district is among the state's 40 smallest. It is one of California's 40 biggest districts.
Thomas is in an even more vulnerable situation than Alvarez because this is her first year of teaching. The 36-year-old was a stay-at-home mother for much of her life but comes from a family of teachers and had always wanted to stand in front of a classroom. When she finished her undergraduate degree last year, she applied to 10 districts before she was hired by Rialto High.
If she does lose her job at Rialto, Thomas said, she could stay home with her children, ages 4 to 17. "Maybe that's what I'm supposed to do in this situation," she said.
But she admits that now that she's back to teaching, she'd like to continue. "I heard the Department of Corrections is always hiring teachers," she said.
Then Thomas got up and returned to her classroom to watch over her students. After she finished work, she had to go to the post office.
jason.song@latimes.com For more on schools, from inside and outside the classroom, go to www.latimes.com/ thehomeroom
