The Chula Vista Elementary School District Board of Education voted 3–2 to approve the agenda item that sets district staffing with 4.5 school resource officers, a move board members said responds to the end of one‑time federal COVID relief funding and a multi‑million‑dollar budget gap. Board President Ugarte called the open‑session vote after extensive discussion; the roll call recorded at the meeting shows a 3–2 approval with Board Member Ramírez Domínguez voting no.

Trustees and district staff framed the change as a return toward pre‑pandemic staffing after one‑time ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) funds that temporarily supported additional officers expired. Superintendent Reyes said the extra officer added after the pandemic was funded with one‑time money and that the district cannot continue that level without new recurring revenue. Reyes described the fiscal constraints and historical context that led to the recommendation: “nosotros añadimos extra oficial sabiendo que eran fondos de una sola vez y que eventualmente tenía que terminar” (we added an extra officer knowing those were one‑time funds and that eventually they would end).

The decision followed sustained concern from trustees about both safety and transparency. Board Member Ramírez Domínguez said the agenda item as written did not clearly present the change to the public and requested more detail on the fiscal and operational outcomes: she urged rewording so the community could see it was a reduction and understand the dollar impact. Trustees asked whether regular city police would still respond to school emergencies; the superintendent and staff said the Chula Vista Police Department will continue to respond to emergencies and that the district has invested in other mitigation measures such as hiring district security staff and training.

Trustees detailed the context: before the pandemic the district funded about 3.5 officers; during the pandemic the district supplemented that number with one‑time funds and briefly carried an additional officer. Staff said the intent in approving the current contract language is to return to the pre‑COVID baseline while working to preserve classroom priorities. The board also discussed longstanding collaboration with the Chula Vista Police Department and reported they had consulted the captain and sergeants about the change. Superintendent Reyes said the city had signed the contract paperwork and the district expects continuity of services under the new staffing arrangement.

Board members emphasized the difficulty of the choice. One trustee framed the budget challenge bluntly: “tenemos un déficit de muchos 1000000 de dólares, 16, 18000000 de dólares, y lo tiene cada distrito” (we have a deficit of many millions of dollars, 16, 18 million dollars, and every district has one), a comment that trustees used to illustrate urgency in making cuts across the budget. Trustees who voted no said they were not opposed to prudent fiscal management but were concerned about the timing, public notice, and possible effects on campus safety and student support.

The vote authorizes district staff to proceed with the contract language and staffing plan as presented in agenda item 10; the board recorded the motion as passed 3–2. Trustees directed staff to continue coordination with the city police department, to report back with implementation details and financial clarifications, and to return to the board with further budget scenarios during upcoming budget workshops.

Less critical details: trustees said the reduction is not an elimination of police services; regular officer response to emergency calls remains in place. Several trustees called for clearer public notice about contract expiration dates and the savings tied to the change.