Residents press for transparency as district converts public information officer to full‑time; board approves personnel register

A Coronado resident raised concerns about transparency and pay before the board approved a consolidated personnel register that converts the district public information officer (PIO) from a part‑time position to a full‑time (1.0 FTE) role and reallocates duties following a director’s resignation.

During public comment, Jennifer Landry (who later appeared in the meeting as ACT president) said she was speaking to process rather than a person and described an absence of publicly available documentation about the PIO job, calling attention to the salary change. “Four years ago, our school board approved a public information officer position at a 0.5 FTE at a salary of $40,000,” Landry said, and she said the current personnel register would increase the position from 0.8 to 1.0 FTE at a salary she cited as $112,500. “Nowhere on our district website in a public manner does it show the job description, job roles, or job duties of that person,” she said, and she asked for more detail from the district.

Deputy Superintendent Drew Salamanca and Superintendent Mueller responded that the PIO job description has been posted online since the board approved it in June 2021 and that the PIO position is a 261‑day contract rather than a teacher’s 186‑day contract. Salamanca said the district had expanded the PIO’s duties over time and that several responsibilities carried by the district’s recently departed director of special programs, Mr. Schmeichel, were being reassigned among administrators and the PIO to maintain continuity. “We have expanded the role of our public information officer, from the initial board approval until the request this evening,” Salamanca said. He also noted that employees receive step and salary schedule increases over time and that a direct day‑to‑day comparison with teacher salaries does not account for contract length and differing duties.

Board members said the change was part of a broader strategy to position the district for the transition to basic aid and to preserve programs while the district addresses declining enrollment. Trustees described the reassignment of duties from the departed director to multiple existing staff in order to avoid hiring a new higher‑paid administrator. Trustee Lee asked for more information and context about days on contract and comparative pay; Salamanca and the superintendent provided contract‑length context and said the job description is on the district website, listing its approval date as 06/17/2021.

After discussion the board voted to approve the personnel register, including the PIO conversion and related reassignments. The motion passed; the public excerpt does not include a roll‑call tally.

The district said it will continue to work with site administrators, staff and community partners as it implements the personnel changes and will provide additional details where appropriate at future meetings.