Bledsoe

Plaintiffs Vernon Lane Bledsoe and the Biggs Unified Teachers Association appeal the denial of their petition for writ of administrative mandamus. (Code Civ. Proc., § 1094.5.) Their petition alleged the Biggs Unified School District (District) abused its discretion by laying off Bledsoe, a tenured teacher with the District, in violation of the requirements of section 44955 of the Education Code (hereafter section 44955). We shall affirm the judgment.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

In March 2007, the Board of Trustees of the District (Board) adopted a resolution decreasing the number of certificated employees of the District at the end of the 2006/2007 school year due to budgetary shortfalls. The resolution directed the District superintendent to take the proper steps to notify the employees whose positions could be affected by this action. The Board adopted another resolution providing criteria to break any tie in seniority between employees affected by the cutbacks in particular kinds of service.

Bledsoe, a certificated employee who had worked for the District nine years teaching English and social science to seventh and eighth grade students, was given timely…