District leaders told trustees that funding for first‑grade classroom aides — originally provided through COVID relief and later supported year‑to‑year with LCAP funds — was unsustainable and will not be continued in the coming budget cycle.

Presenters said first‑grade aides were initially hired with federal COVID relief to provide general social, behavioral and academic support. Over time some aides took on small‑group literacy work, which created a perception they were core to the district’s early literacy initiative. Because the temporary funds expired and the district must reduce millions from the budget, the board was told the district could not keep the aide positions funded.

District staff described steps to sustain early literacy without those aides: adopting and expanding UFLI phonics across grades K‑2, continuing benchmark and dyslexia screening, strengthening tier‑1 instruction and intervention protocols, offering professional development and coaching for teachers, and using after‑school intervention (ELOP) funds. Staff also said the district is exploring whether high‑school education pathway students could earn internships assisting in classrooms, and noted volunteer parents already help with centers and similar activities.

Labor and operational limits: presenters said the classified employees’ union flagged an MOU clause that could limit replacing laid‑off classified work with unpaid volunteers. District staff said the union did not reject volunteer involvement but requested further discussion to clarify what volunteers may do without supplanting paid classified duties.

Trustee requests and next steps: a board member asked staff to report on student outcomes after one year without aides (compare this year with next). Staff agreed to track outcomes and return with data to inform future decisions. No formal reversal of the personnel decision occurred at the meeting.