Public commenters urge immigrant protections and prioritizing student-facing staff amid budget shortfall

Three community members used the public-comment period to press the board on student safety and budget priorities.

Jacqueline Baron, a junior at North Salem High School, asked what the district is doing "with an increase in immigration and customs enforcement" to support students, teachers and families, and criticized policies that leave immigrant students unreachable during high-stress enforcement events. "Policies like the Yonder phone pouches are a direct failure to accommodate the needs of immigrant students," Baron said, urging improved frontline training for bus drivers, office staff and substitutes.

Kimberly Reed Zauber, a Salem Keizer teacher and union member, urged the board to "put students first" and to consider cutting or freezing pay at the highest administrative levels before reducing student-facing staff. She told the board that director and deputy superintendent salaries "range from about $150,000 to $200,000 a year," and argued those amounts can represent the equivalent of multiple classroom teachers. "Students first. They're the reason we're here," she said.

Brian Zaba Reid, speaking as a community member, called for greater transparency after what he described as a recent district commitment of about $15.5 million to a former Wells Fargo call center the district cannot use for at least three years. He said the investment raises questions about whether the district adequately weighed the purchase's financial implications while facing a $25.5 million projected shortfall.

Board members thanked speakers and acknowledged the concerns; the meeting record shows no immediate policy changes adopted during the session. The board later recessed and continued its agenda, which included the five-year forecast presentation and other governance items.