The Sacramento City Unified School District should not have doled out layoff notices to teachers who haven't earned a special certificate to teach English-learner students, according to an administrative law judge.

Scores of veteran teachers, some with more than 30 years of experience, received potential layoff notices in March as part of the district's push to close a $24 million budget deficit.

District officials said that the teachers had been warned repeatedly that they needed to earn the equivalent of a Cross-Cultural Language and Academic Development, or CLAD, certificate by 2005. They also said that the district's students, one-third of whom are English learners, need highly trained teachers.

Some teachers argued that their official paperwork proving they had earned the credential was stuck in a backlog, while others criticized the district for seemingly reneging on the original 2005 deadline.

In her non-binding opinion, Judge Amanda Behe said the layoff notices based on who had earned the CLAD certificate should be revoked. Those based solely on seniority were sustained.

In response to the judge's opinion, the district's board of trustees will consider rescinding the layoff notices at a special meeting tonight.

Board President Jay Schenirer said that as in past years, the layoff notices were sent as a sort of insurance policy in case of a worst-case budget scenario; as in past years, the board hopes to rescind the notices and avoid as many teacher layoffs as possible.

"I think the board has been very clear that teacher layoffs and elimination of class-size reduction are both last options," he said.

On Thursday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will release a revised budget for the upcoming fiscal year that will give school districts a clearer picture of what sort of cuts need to be made.

Sac City Unified has made more than $15 million in cuts to date. The board needs to make an estimated $8 million in additional cuts by June 30.