Faced with fewer students and fewer state dollars, three local school districts are issuing some 150 teachers, counselors and assistant principals preliminary layoff notices as educators figure out a way to keep cuts away from local classrooms.

School districts are required by law to notify certificated employees, which includes teachers, counselors and assistant principals, that they may be laid off at the end of the school year. Layoff notices are determined by the employee’s seniority at the school district.

Districts must issue final pink slips by May 15. If the funding situation changes, then school districts may be able to hire back employees in time for the 2012-13 school year.

Locally, Newhall, Sulphur Springs and Saugus Union school districts are putting an estimated 154 certificated employees on notice.

The William S. Hart Union High School District and Castaic Union School District will not issue any preliminary layoff notices to their certificated employees this year, district officials said.

At Sulphur Springs, 38 classroom and temporary teachers will be notified, along with one psychologist and three elementary school assistant principals, Superintendent Robert Nolet said.

“We’re doing it simply because we’ve got the governor’s proposal that potentially could eliminate $370 per child,” Nolet said.

That would amount to a roughly $2.5 million funding reduction for the elementary school district, he said.

Sulphur Springs is trying to do as much as it can to prevent the layoff of any certificated employees, he said.

Newhall and Sulphur Springs are also in declining enrollment, which means the need for fewer students.

At Newhall, 15 temporary teachers are being notified with preliminary layoff notices, said Alexis Yannich, assistant
superintendent of human resources. Temporary teachers can be used for special assignments or to fill in for teachers who are on leave.

“We are not affecting any permanent teachers this time around,” she said.

Because of continued funding uncertainty from the state, Newhall is also notifying all eight of its assistant principals that they may lose their jobs, she said.

Last week, Saugus Union School District notified more than 80 teachers that they might lose their jobs. The district says it’s trying to close a $6.7 million budget hole and with 86 percent of its budget made up of personnel, the cuts may fall on its employees.