Among student chatter and discussion, English teacher Kiara Smith’s classroom catches the eye.
A vividly decorated door, colorful walls and student art projects reflect the vibrant energy and creativity she brings to her teaching.
As a second-year teacher at Cal High, Smith has made an impact on students across grade levels, earning the recognition as a teacher and former Dougherty Valley High School student from the San Ramon Valley Unified School District’s 30 Under 30 Alumni Recognition Campaign.
But within months of that distinction, Smith was recently “pink-slipped” as a part of the district’s recent budget cuts to address a $24 million deficit.
Smith is one of many second-year teachers being suggested by the district to not be rehired by the Board of Education.
The “pink slip” isn’t necessarily a slip, but a conversation that the district has with teachers when they are at a risk of being laid off. The “pink slip” is mainly given to probationary employees, teachers who have worked at the district for fewer than two years.
First-year probationary employees are immediately given a notice that they will not be rehired, and second-year probationary employees are considered. Being “pink-slipped” used to be normal in past years, but it is more prevalent and significant now due to the budget cuts.
Smith is a second-year probationary teacher, meaning that after this year, she would have been in a “safe zone” for not being unduly fired by the district.
Social studies teacher Jackson Collins has also been teaching at Cal for two years, and received his “pink slip” during the first week of March.
“When I received my pink slip, I was in denial,” Collins said. “The majority of people who receive [the slip] are usually fine, so I was hoping that was the case.”
Geometry teacher Jamie DeWitt has been teaching for 20 years, but this is his second year teaching at Cal, making him a probationary employee at risk of being fired as well.
Smith said that the blind selection is not fair to teachers in their second year who face the waiting process of being “pink-slipped.”
“I think the most difficult part is that this process isn’t being treated very humanely,” Smith said. “I don’t know how they do this, and then turn around and say, ‘We love our teachers.’ It just feels disingenuous.”
Smith finds this strange, especially after she just received an award this year from the district for her accomplishments as a teacher.
“It definitely feels ironic just after being told that I was doing such a great job,” Smith said. “It’s wild in my head to think how close being cut is, right before I have that safety year. It definitely stinks.”
Smith said many recently hired teachers were brought in specifically to help improve the campus, so letting them go without consideration undermines that original goal.
“When I was hired, I was told that [the district] thinks we are going to really change things around here,” Smith said. “I think that the intention was to really shake things up and help make things better, and [the cuts] mean that everybody who has been brought on to change things, they’re being taken out, so what was the point?”
Smith received the award in October for her contributions to the district as an educator, and how she gave back to her alumni district and community.
“You learn to love a lot of things about teaching, but the biggest thing is it’s really easy to make amends with kids,” Smith said. “Being able to have that ‘aha!’ moment and geek out together, that’s just really fun to me.”
Smith originally wanted to pursue a career in psychology or creative writing, but she quickly realized how much she loved working with kids. Her mother was also an educator, which inspired her to pursue teaching.
“With adults, most of them are just really stubborn and stuck in their ways, and it can be hard to find that same wonder you get with kids,” Smith said.
Smith’s students say being in her class has changed their perspectives about different social issues.
“What I like about Ms. Smith’s class is that it shows me a different perspective on a lot of issues that they talk about in normal history and English classes, but they fail to mention all the racial ambiguities of it,” said senior Jessica Skeehan, who is in Smith’s English 12 Justice and Community class. “Ms. Smith is really understanding about deadlines and whatnot, I never feel pressured to turn in anything, and I don’t have to stress as much.”
Senior Niranjan Prem agreed, saying he learned a lot of things from Smith’s class that he wasn’t aware of before.
“I get a lot of real-world exposure from Ms. Smith’s class, and you get to learn, beyond normal English, how you can apply that to be a functioning member of society,” Prem said.
Smith is also the adviser for Cal’s Black Student Union (BSU).
“Ms. Smith is very understanding and very easy to talk to,” senior BSU member Onyi Onyema said. “It’s like she’s a student, but a teacher.”
Smith said her passion for educating and connecting with her students comes from her own experiences as a current student working toward her doctorate in education. She said she loved being around students and sharing knowledge with them, and education is what she feels like she was meant to do.
“I think being around students, learning, and knowledge is just something that I love,” Smith said. “It just kind of makes sense for me to be in a classroom at all times, for better or for worse.”
Staff writer Sheryln Hernandez contributed to this story.