Teachers and special education staff ask board to review nonrenewals, cite surprise and staffing impacts

A teacher and members of the special education staff urged the Palmdale Aerospace Academy board to reconsider or provide transparency about recent contract nonrenewals and the district’s use of contracted services for school psychology work.

Teacher Daniel Luis spoke in public comment to ask the board to reconsider a decision not to renew his contract. He described joining the school partway through a semester in a classroom with prior teacher instability and said he had implemented recommended classroom-management improvements after a formal observation. "I respectfully request that my progress and ongoing efforts be considered and that the decision regarding my contract be reevaluated," he said.

Special education staff raised concerns about the nonrenewal of a secondary school psychologist, identified in comment as Ms. Ivana Lopez. "This action took many members of our special education team completely by surprise," said Bridal Jacob, the district’s school psychologist who spoke on behalf of secondary special-education staff. Jacob told the board that Ms. Lopez returned from maternity leave and was then notified she would not be renewed; staff said no explanation was provided and that a vacancy for the position had appeared on the HR agenda.

Staff said the district relied on costly outside contractors while the in-house psychologist position had been functioning well. "TBAs spent exorbitant amounts of money on this virtual psychologist who completed near to nothing to assist with evaluations," the special-education commenter told the board. The speakers asked for an independent review and transparency, and urged the board to consult teachers, administrators and related-service providers—not only directors—about the decision.

Why it matters: Special education staff expressed operational concerns about continuity of services for students, the cost-effectiveness and competency of contracted providers, and procedural transparency in personnel decisions.

Board and staff responses: The board moved a personnel matter (item I) into closed session for additional discussion later in the meeting; the public comment was recorded and directors directed human resources matters to closed session consistent with personnel-review practices. No formal personnel action was read into the public record at the meeting.

Ending: Special education staff asked for a neutral review and more communication about staffing decisions. The transcript shows public comment and a later closed-session motion on personnel; no public reversal of nonrenewals was recorded during the meeting.