CVESD parents, staff urge higher pay and staffing after repeated special-education shortages

Dozens of parents, student attendants and special-education staff told the Chula Vista Elementary School District board on May 28 that chronic shortages of trained paraprofessionals and low substitute pay are compromising student safety and disrupting legally required services.

At the meeting, student attendant Kathy said dozens of SA (student attendant) substitute positions go unfilled and that SA subs are paid $16.50 an hour, the same as IA subs, despite more specialized duties. "This is a safety issue," she said, describing classrooms where adults have been injured and situations where untrained IAs are asked to cover SA duties.

Several other speakers echoed the staffing complaints. Hezekiah Herrera, a special-education teacher at Sonia Sotomayor, told trustees that vacancies and high turnover prevent delivery of mandated IEP minutes and increase safety risks for students with high needs. "When vacancies prevent us from delivering mandated IEP service minutes, we are failing students and failing to meet our legal obligation to provide free and appropriate public education," he said.

Board and staff responded with short- and longer-term steps. Director of Operations and Human Resources explained the district has increased reliance on nonpublic agencies and emergency contract staffing for one-on-one aides and that the board approved contract amendments to expand nonpublic agency support for special-education aides and therapists. District staff also described plans to create and post a revised job description for a Behavioral Support Specialist and to fund 43 positions (budgeted against the Learning Recovery Emergency Block Grant, spendable through June 2028) to provide site-level behavioral supports and assist MTSS implementation.

Trustees asked about the sustainability of grant-funded positions and the district said federal and state funding uncertainties make multi-year guarantees difficult; officials said they will continue applying for grants (including a CYBHI implementation grant) and will revisit staffing if revenue changes. "We have the money for this coming year," staff said, adding that any long-term decisions will be adjusted as state and federal guidance evolves.

Parents also raised a related concern about substitute recruitment: the district, staff and unions discussed offering more substitute training through orientation and tablets with safety and eJIX access, and the board asked staff to report on vacancy-fill rates and substitute recruitment over recent months.

The board recorded multiple consent agenda approvals that fund agency staffing and contract amendments for nonpublic agencies and speech/language services; trustees asked staff to clarify funding sources and to report periodically on the number of vacancies filled, the cost of agency staff versus district hires, and plans to avoid layoffs when one-time grant revenue declines.

The next procedural step: trustees directed staff to provide a written update on substitute coverage, vacancy-fill rates for classified special-education positions, and the sustainability plan for grant-funded behavioral support roles. The district said it will also continue to seek grants and leverage Medi-Cal collaborative funds to support services.

Sources: public comments and district presentations during the May 28 board meeting. Ending: The board approved related amendments and asked staff for follow-up reports; no additional formal staffing actions were taken tonight beyond items included in the consent calendar.