Laid-off data specialist warns district that layoffs may disrupt data reports, teacher support

Carlos Castaneda, who said he had been laid off from the district’s data assessment specialist position and is currently substituting in that role, told the board on July 24 that his absence and other staffing cuts could disrupt data preparation, teacher coaching and site-level transitions ahead of the school year.

“I'm preparing all the data for the upcoming meetings and have been very instrumental to a lot of what was expected from our department,” Castaneda said. He told the board he helped run data chats at secondary sites, worked with platform vendors, and produced reports that helped teachers identify instructional gaps. Castaneda also said layoffs affected instructional media technicians and employees who support kindergarten transitions, registrations and early days logistics.

Why it matters: District data preparation and staff who support student onboarding and early instruction are time-sensitive functions that the speaker said are critical in the first days of the school year.

Castaneda urged the board to reconsider layoffs, saying administrators and teachers rely on these roles to create reports and manage classroom transitions; the board did not announce a staffing reversal during the meeting.

The speaker identified his role and described specific tasks he performs; no formal board action on his employment status was recorded in open session during the meeting.