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Parents tell Brea Olinda trustees 36–37‑student fourth‑grade classes at Mariposa are unsafe, ask for immediate relief
Summary
Several Mariposa Elementary parents urged the Brea Olinda Unified School District board to restore a third/fourth‑grade teacher or use facilities funds to relieve two fourth‑grade classes of 36–37 students, citing safety, special‑education needs and equity concerns; staff said class balancing will continue over the 15‑day window in the collective bargaining agreement and staff will follow up with families.
Parents from Mariposa Elementary pressed the Brea Olinda Unified School District board on Aug. 20, saying two fourth‑grade classrooms with roughly 36–37 students each are overcrowded and asking the board to provide immediate relief.
"The measure promised to modernize classroom and relieve overcrowding. The most immediate and preferred solution is simple: restore a fourth‑grade teacher at Mariposa," parent Kayla Vu told the board, adding that students are "shoulder to shoulder in one room," including children with special needs.
Other parents described similar concerns. "Thirty‑six and 37 students per class, including students with IEPs and 504 plans, is simply unworkable," said parent Linda Hottenstein, who emphasized the difficulty of providing timely, individualized support for neurodiverse students when teachers are stretched thin. Elise Ramser said the room layout made normal movement difficult and warned that evacuation in an emergency would be more complicated.
Commenters cited research and state guidance in support of their request. Ramser referenced California guidance that encourages district averages near 30 students per teacher in grades 4–8 and warned that consistently high class sizes can reduce state funding and accountability over time. Multiple speakers asked the board to either restore a teacher from general fund staffing or, if not possible, to direct staff to identify near‑term Measure H projects that would provide capacity relief and to publish a side‑by‑side project list and timeline that includes Mariposa.
Superintendent Brenda Leon acknowledged parents’ concerns and described the district’s class‑size monitoring process. Leon said leadership reviews school‑by‑school and grade‑by‑grade reports daily and that, under the teachers’ bargaining agreement, the district has a 15‑day period to balance class sizes after school opens. "We staff accordingly," Leon said, explaining the tradeoffs between over‑ and understaffing and noting the district monitors attendance and enrollment trends before making permanent staffing changes.
District staff and trustees told parents their comments were heard and staff would follow up. Carrie Johnson (district ed‑services/athletics/operations) was asked to be a point of contact for families; board members also noted a facilities update later in the meeting that detailed summer repairs and longer‑term bond planning.
What happens next: Board staff said they will follow up with the parents who provided written materials and petitions. The board did not take immediate action to restore a teacher during the meeting; trustees repeatedly said they understand the urgency and would explore staffing and facilities options within existing budgetary and contractual constraints.
Authorities: Parents referenced California class‑size guidance and the district noted the staffing timeline set by the teachers’ bargaining agreement.
Ending: Trustees closed the public comment segment and moved on to facilities and action items, noting written materials from parents had been received and would be routed to the appropriate staff for follow‑up.
