Chula Vista board hears urgent appeals for more special-education staff and higher substitute pay

At a packed Chula Vista Elementary School District board meeting on May 1, classified staff, special-education teachers and parents pressed trustees for immediate action to fill vacancies and raise substitute pay.

Paraeducator Kathy Rodríguez told the board that “docenas de puestos no se llenan,” describing classrooms where students need assistance for mobility, personal care and behavior and where untrained adults are sometimes assigned. “Esto pone a los estudiantes en riesgo,” she said, arguing the district should increase substitute pay so qualified substitutes will accept assignments.

Several public commenters — including Marisa Villanueva, a Rogers school instructional assistant, and special-education teacher Kaya Herrera — described chronic shortages in trained aides and substitutes. Villanueva said she has worked with 13 students with severe needs and regularly has to train incoming assistants; Herrera told the board that prolonged vacancies mean the district may not be meeting the obligation to provide a free, appropriate public education under students’ IEPs.

Parents at Casillas and Marshall described assaults and repeated safety incidents and asked the district for clearer responses; Jennifer Bowman said her second-grade daughter was attacked twice in a single week and that the family had been told staff “hands are tied” in some cases. Félix Pérez and other parents requested reversal of a change that moved a sixth-grade graduation from Eastlake church to the school auditorium, saying the smaller venue reduces capacity and the student experience.

Trustees and district staff acknowledged the gaps. Superintendent Dr. Reyes and labor/HR staff said the district is using a mix of district hires, agency contracts and grant-funded positions. Board members asked staff for specifics about how many vacancies remain, why reclassification proposals or CASBO staffing formulas have not been implemented systemwide, and whether substitute pay can be restructured to improve recruitment.

District budget and HR staff noted two different substitute streams in the agenda: district-employed substitutes and higher-paid agency temps used for specialized needs. During consent-calendar discussion, staff said some agency rates are about $30 an hour while district substitutes are currently $16.50 an hour for some categories, a gap several speakers pointed to as part of the recruitment problem.

The board did not vote on immediate pay changes at the meeting but directed staff to follow up; a number of trustees requested a written report on vacancy counts, overtime/comp coverage and the financial options to increase substitute pay.

The board extended the meeting to complete agenda business and moved on to consent items and a large budget presentation later in the session.