SAN FRANCISCO—On Tuesday, May 26, the California Academy of Sciences indicated 75 percent of their staff will be impacted as they are planning on fighting through a $12 million loss in revenue for the upcoming year. Dr. Scott Sampson, the Executive Director of the California Academy of Sciences, shared the news to the academy staff during a virtual all-staff meeting.
The California Academy of Sciences is a natural history museum and research institution with a 167-year history and is located in Golden Gate Park region of San Francisco. It is one of the largest natural history museums in the world with over 46-million specimens. Since March 12, the academy has been closed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The academy has been retaining full salary and benefits for their employees through June 12 because of the $8.1 million in relief funding from the federal Paycheck Protection Program. They are expecting a revenue decrease of about $12 million for the next fiscal year.
Dr. Sampson says, the academy will start implementing layoffs, furloughs, and reductions of salary and hours on June 13. Seventy-five percent of the institution’s 504 employees will be impacted. A total of 165 employees will receive salary reductions;105 employees will be laid off; 96 employees will be furloughed; 11 employees will be reduced in work hours temporarily. Twenty-five percent of academy employees will not see any changes in their employment status at this time.
As the academy prepares for reopening in July, which could change due to public health orders and guidelines, they hope that all furloughed employees will return with their full salary within three to four months.
“I am deeply sorry that each of you, and the Academy as a whole, must go through this transition. Please take time to process, reflect, and support one another in the days and weeks ahead,” said Dr. Sampson to the academy staff during a virtual meeting.
