Adult‑education instructors urge pause on ESL cuts, seek independent budget review

Alisa Stekel, an adult‑education ESL instructor, told the Mount Diablo Unified School District board on June 11 that part‑time ESL teachers are asking the board to ‘pause on cutbacks in the ESL family literacy program until an audit or full budget review is completed by an independent party.’

Stekel and several colleagues described long‑running uncertainty about pay and scheduling. “In August of 2024, our director told ESL instructors that we would receive a raise by December … and that it would be retroactive,” Stekel said. She and other speakers said those raises have not been paid and that administrators told instructors the delay was due to human‑resources staffing changes.

Maren Anton read a student thank‑you letter on behalf of an instructor to highlight the program’s community impact. Tatiana Dutra Emilio and Elizabeth Bognar, both part‑time ESL instructors, said the administration canceled this summer’s ESL courses and has not surveyed teachers about fall assignments as past practice required. Amanda Sakatz, speaking as a Mount Diablo adult‑education instructor and Pleasant Hill council member, said she has taught at the district’s adult‑education program since 2012 and that the program has historically run summer classes except during the COVID year.

Speakers said they had checked federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and local CAPE funding records and believe funds exist to sustain summer and fall offerings. They said staff had told instructors that raising teacher salaries could force cuts to classes; instructors urged the district to consider administrative cost savings before reducing classroom capacity. Several speakers also reported that adult‑education administrators said classes were being “packed” and that parents and teachers worry the change could violate fire‑code limits.

The group asked the board to: (1) pause program reductions and instructor layoffs affecting the ESL/family literacy program, (2) commission an independent review or audit of adult‑education budgets and grant use, and (3) ensure teachers will not be retaliated against for union organizing. Multiple speakers said about 27 ESL teachers currently work in the program and that teachers were told by administrators that joining a union would not affect employment but feared reprisals.

The board did not take immediate action during public comment. Superintendent Adam Clark and staff were in the meeting and later presented the district’s draft Local Control and Accountability Plan and proposed 2025–26 budget; board members did not announce a staff direction on the ESL requests at the meeting.

Why it matters: Mount Diablo’s adult‑education ESL classes serve non‑English‑speaking residents seeking language, civics and job skills. Speakers argued that cancelling summer instruction and leaving fall assignments uncertain would reduce students’ pathways into TK/kindergarten readiness and the local workforce.

What’s next: Instructors said they submitted documentation to the board and asked that the district perform a full budget review; the transcript records no board vote on those requests during the June 11 meeting.