Board tables internship agreements after members raise governance and policy concerns
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Summary
Trustees voted to table internship agreements that would place unpaid interns with board members after questions from trustees and staff about policy, liability and supervision. The motion to table carried (4 yes, 1 abstention).
Trustees at the Santa Ana Unified School District meeting on Oct. 28 tabled two internship agreements after extensive discussion about legal risk, board policy and supervision.
President Bustos described the internships as unpaid, short‑term civic engagement opportunities for college‑age participants who would work under the president's direct supervision and produce an education policy proposal by the end of the fall term. "It was made very clear at the beginning that this was an unpaid internship opportunity," he said while explaining how agreements were prepared in consultation with legal counsel.
Trustee Alvarez raised concerns that the agreements as written would create a contract between SAUSD and interns without clear policy language specifying whether board members could oversee day-to-day activities. He said the draft appeared to conflict with board policy restricting individual trustees from exercising administrative authority. "If it's an official SAUSD agreement, it falls under [the superintendent]," Alvarez said, calling for clearer policy language and, if necessary, bylaw amendments.
Trustee Lebsack and others also voiced unease about "gray areas" in the agreements, asking how interns would be placed, whether they would be SAUSD students and how staff time and liability would be managed. Several trustees suggested that a board policy or clearer operational guidance be developed so all trustees share a common process.
As a result, the board voted to table the internship items and directed the superintendent to work with legal counsel to clarify the agreements and policy implications; the motion to table passed 4‑yes with 1 abstention recorded.
The board approved other no‑cost agreements on the same consent item, but the internship-related entries were separated for further review. The district said it would return with recommended policy language and a more explicit operational plan before moving forward.
What happens next: The superintendent27s office will consult legal counsel and return to the board with a recommended path—either a revised agreement, a new board policy, or both—to govern internships affiliated with trustees' offices.
