But in a move that upset some in the community, the district also approved the elimination of classified staff on May 8, sending layoff notices to 22 people and reducing the hours of others. The employees include district office staff, tutors in English language and reading, instructional assistants and specialists in science, physical education and technology.

While the district maintained that the available funding for such specialty positions is still unknown and that it had to take a "worst-case scenario" outlook, the classified employees themselves said they had taken a back seat to the priority of teachers.

"I'm not saying teachers aren't important—they are. But there needs to be some balance there," said parent Chandini Stanley, who is a librarian at Van Meter Elementary School.

Robin Helfrich has worked in the district office since 1985 and is slated for layoffs. "Is my job ending? The work is still there. They're still funded. They're just going to get someone else," she said through tears. "I've been through four administrations and I'm still here. I'd hoped to retire from this district."

"The cuts need to come back from something else, and I believe where there's a will, there's a way," said Van Meter teacher Sloan Devoto. "We need to focus on what is most important and find a way to make it work."

While Superintendent Mary Ann Park acknowledged that classified employees are significant to the district, she said, "The most important relationship is between the student and the teacher. And I truly believe that."

Others criticized the SOS—Save Our Schools campaign—for making teachers a priority over other employees. Parent Mark Litvinoff said he disagreed with the campaign's pledge to use its first $850,000 on teachers' salaries, spending anything beyond that amount for other staff and programs.

Fisher Middle School instructor Sue Frey said there is an "uncomfortable" feeling on the teachers' end, knowing that they are first on the public list of priorities. "I think it's wonderful that they're that active in saving teachers," Frey said, "but we're saving programs." Frey said she would like less emphasis on the actual teachers and more of an emphasis on programs.

District board member Kathy Bays said, however, "The SOS campaign is not our campaign. It's the community that came forward and wanted to save teachers. It wasn't the board that wanted to save teachers at the expense of anybody else."

Teri Kent, president of the Los Gatos Education Foundation, which sponsors SOS, said she had not heard that kind of input when the SOS goals were being prepared. But she stated, "We're going to do whatever we can, as humanely as possible, to save as many jobs as possible."

As of May 15, the campaign had raised "well over $700,000," said SOS campaign committee member Rusty Ingram. "Suffice it to say, we think we're going to get more than $1 million," Ingram said. "We're ecstatic that we're as high as we are, for us to raise more than $700,000 in the community in eight weeks."