Parents and staff urge Liberty district to reinstate assistant principal, oppose cuts to reading interventions

Dozens of parents, teachers and staff used the district's public‑comment period to press the Liberty Elementary School District governing board to reverse recent personnel moves, reinstate assistant principal Lauren Velasquez at Freedom Elementary and preserve reading‑intervention positions that commenters said serve hundreds of students.

Speakers described Velasquez as a stabilizing presence and urged the board and superintendent to return him to Freedom now that the school's assistant principal post is vacant. Several teachers, parents and school staff described Velasquez's leadership as a direct driver of recent academic progress at Freedom and asked the board to prioritize continuity in campus leadership.

Teacher and parent concerns about staffing and communications

- Multiple teachers and support staff described late‑notice contract changes and the loss of education‑support positions. One reading interventionist said she and colleagues received late Friday notices about reassignment or nonrenewal and asked the board to consider the instructional ramifications for students who currently receive daily intervention time.

- Commenters said reading interventionists support roughly 750 students districtwide with tiered interventions and that removing the positions would both reduce academic supports and increase supervision and safety burdens for remaining staff.

- Parents and staff described a pattern of rapid reassignments, staff departures and what they characterized as poor communication from administration. Several speakers asked the board to require clearer notice and to prioritize retention of positions that directly support classroom instruction.

Voices at the meeting

- Emily Miller, a fifth‑grade teacher at Freedom Elementary, urged the board to consider returning Velasquez to Freedom, saying his return would provide continuity and immediate leadership for a school that helped raise its rating while he served there.

- Marcy McBride, a school counselor, said of Velasquez: "He is a good man. He is not only a good leader, but he is compassionate, and in my opinion, the most important, he is honest." McBride said the presence of calm, caring adults in schools mitigates trauma and supports student learning.

- Other speakers — including a reading interventionist, a parent group representative and former district staffers from other Arizona districts — urged stronger board oversight of superintendent decisions and more transparent, timely communication about personnel and program choices.

Why it matters

Board actions about staffing and programs are central to classroom instruction and student supports. Reading interventionists, counselors and site leadership play a measurable role in early reading outcomes; commenters argued that cuts to those positions would increase risk for struggling students and would compound instructional challenges amid the district's budget pressures.

District response and next steps

Board members acknowledged the public comments and asked administration to provide follow‑up information about staffing decisions and the process for contracts and reassignments. Some trustees said they would review the circumstances that led to the personnel decisions and asked staff to return with clarification about which positions are funded by which sources and how proposed cuts would affect day‑to‑day student services.

Speakers

- Lauren Velasquez — Assistant Principal (role referenced by multiple commenters) - Emily Miller — Fifth‑grade teacher, Freedom Elementary - Marcy McBride — School counselor, Freedom Elementary (and district lead counselor) - Erin Bridal — Reading interventionist (commented on late notice and duties) - Patricia Ybarra — Freedom Elementary school secretary - Corey Nao — Community member and parent - Multiple parents and community members active during public comment (Mark Maguire, Paul Bixler and others participated in later comments)

Clarifying details

- Commenters said reading interventionists serve approximately 750 students across the district and that many students receive two intervention blocks daily; district administration was asked to confirm the exact number and to present program costs and alternatives. - Several speakers asked the board to provide assurances about whether any staff will be nonrenewed or laid off and to provide a timeline for decisions.

Searchable_tags:["personnel","reading_intervention","Freedom Elementary","Lauren Velasquez","public_comment","staff_turnover"],

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