Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Student Supports topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Parents, teachers and students urge Central Unified to expand newcomer, social work and special-education supports
Summary
During public comment at the April 8 Central Unified board meeting speakers asked the board to expand newcomer English-language classes and hire more social workers and special-education staff. Speakers also raised concerns about district personnel decisions and asked the board to reconsider valedictorian criteria.
At the April 8 Central Unified School District Board of Trustees meeting, multiple parents, teachers and students used public comment to press the district to expand student supports: more newcomer English-language instruction, additional social workers, and increased special-education capacity.
Speakers including Laura Bolton (CUTA president), Linda Lavendera and Andrea Chase described operational pressures at several sites and asked the board to invest in staff that help students with nonacademic needs. "Social workers are the connective tissue between family, community, and child," said Stephen Chase, who identified himself as a licensed clinical social worker; he told trustees that teachers are stretched when social needs fall on classroom staff.
District employees and parents highlighted a shortage of newcomer instruction. Bolton said the district has 472 newcomers and only one district newcomer teacher (Marcy Breck) who currently serves elementary sites; the board was asked to add at least one additional newcomer teacher at the elementary level and one at each high school to support students and families moving through feeder patterns.
Other public commenters pressed for more special-education resources and earlier intervention. Andrea Chase, a special-education teacher, described students with mental-health and housing needs who would benefit from increased on-campus social work and case coordination; Laura Bolton told the board she is pursuing a study of weighted caseloads for special education.
Two attendees requested personnel and policy reviews: Lisa Popolo criticized the board's recent handling of the district superintendent (she said the board had "terminated without cause" the previous superintendent; that assertion was made by the speaker and is recorded as public comment), and Connie Neece asked the board to reconsider a valedictorian recognition decision after her son took an AP Calculus elective that resulted in a lower letter grade that she said is blocking valedictorian recognition. Neece asked the board to reconsider or consider broader Latin honors distinctions so students are not discouraged from taking higher-division coursework.
Board members and staff responded to some requests with offers to return items to subcommittees or future agendas. Administration told the board it will return the Care Solace mental-health navigation contract to the May 13 agenda for action; trustees were also invited to raise wellness-policy coordination and related items at the wellness subcommittee. No formal board action on the public requests (newcomer staffing, social-worker hiring, or valedictorian policy changes) was taken at the April 8 meeting.
Speakers urged quick follow-up: given the end of the school year and upcoming summer programs, several commenters said the district should prioritize hires and program changes now so students do not miss services next year.
