Resident criticizes school spending and staffing decisions during public comment

At the start of public comment, Aaron Edberg, who identified himself as a recently separated employee and taxpayer, criticized district spending and staff deployment and said he plans to publicize concerns to residents. “Since COVID, the general public, parents, and community have lost interest in what has become a runaway train of spending by the colossal failure of a board and the superintendent to the tune of millions of dollars,” Edberg told the board. He questioned the need for additional security staff, a second full‑time middle‑school receptionist and a $40,000 expenditure he said “slipped out the door.” Edberg said he performed maintenance work at the high school and observed support‑staff patterns he described as inefficient: “Are the secretary's too busy to answer the intercom? ... Our solution to mismanagement is to hire more people.” He closed his three‑minute comment saying, “This is a runaway train with no oversight. It is time to trim the fat.” Why it matters: public comment raised concerns about staffing levels and procurement that could inform future budget and personnel oversight work. The board did not respond substantively during the public‑comment period because of Freedom of Information Act limits on discussing items not on the agenda. Board response and next steps: McNamara noted the board is limited by the Freedom of Information Act from discussing matters not on the agenda during public comment. The transcript shows no motion or staff directive following Edberg’s remarks; trustees did not vote or otherwise act during the public‑comment period. Ending: Edberg said he will attend future meetings and create a public Facebook page to highlight the issues he raised; the board recorded the comment and proceeded to the agenda.