Employees, former staff urge board to address staff concerns; some cite fear of retaliation

Several members of the public used the meeting's public comment period to tell the Board of Education they are worried about staff treatment and urged board action.

Nikki Layag, who identified herself as a district employee with more than 25 years of service, said colleagues had shared difficult experiences involving the superintendent and the human resources director and that many employees were afraid to sign a petition or speak publicly because of fear of retaliation. "So many people contacted me wanting to sign the petition, but they were afraid to. So many are scared to speak up, scared of retaliation, and scared that they won't be heard," Layag told the board.

Former employee Amos Caraballo also addressed the board and urged trustees to listen and act on community complaints, saying the community's concerns had moved from a warning to a demand for action. "This is a call to action. It is an appeal to all of you who sit here as elected officials to really listen," Caraballo said.

Board members acknowledged the comments and several described steps to solicit staff feedback and improve climate. Vice President Romero and President Estrada noted that letters had been received by board members and that some trustees had begun meeting with administrators to discuss climate and culture. President Estrada said he visited seven administrators over two days to gather information about school climate and described that outreach as an effort to "bring back to the board ... information that's given to me in order to make us better." He said the purpose of those conversations was not to intimidate staff but to understand and address concerns.

The board did not take public action at the meeting in response to the comments; trustees said they would continue discussing the concerns raised and indicated they intended to follow up through meetings and existing procedures.