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Teachers and parents urge Lawndale board to preserve middle‑school math positions
Summary
At the March 5 Lawndale Elementary School District board meeting, a series of teachers, site representatives and parents urged trustees to reverse proposed reductions to middle‑school math staff, warning cuts would harm interventions, co‑teaching and post‑COVID proficiency gains.
Public commenters pressed the Lawndale Elementary School District board on March 5 to retain proposed middle‑school math positions, saying cuts would undercut intervention programs and recent gains in math proficiency.
Several speakers tied their pleas to concrete classroom consequences. "Keeping one of the teachers could serve as a valuable resource for true intervention by working with small groups, filling in learning gaps, and helping students build the foundational skills they need to succeed," said Casey Gammes, who spoke during the public‑comment period.
Ali Mulgrew, a site representative at Jane Addams Middle School, warned that established teacher partnerships and professional learning team practices would be disrupted if a math teacher is removed. "Their collaboration is not something that was mandated or manufactured. It developed naturally through years of working together," Mulgrew said.
Parents and educators cited specific program investments and data in their appeals. "Last year, our district made a significant investment in adopting Envision as our math core curriculum, spending over $500,000," said Eritza Mesta, adding that Envision's model depends on time, small‑group instruction and teacher feedback that staffing reductions would make difficult to sustain.
Betty Salinas, speaking for the math department, said the cuts would disproportionately affect English learners and students with individualized education plans by reducing co‑teaching capacity. "Maintaining this math position is not just about staffing numbers. It is about equity," she said.
Board members acknowledged the concerns and described the staffing process as preliminary and tied to enrollment projections and contract language. Clerk Anne Phillips and district staff explained master scheduling and declining enrollment influence staffing plans and that the district would shift students and staffing if actual counts change. Superintendent Castro and business staff reiterated that the enrollment decline is being monitored and that adjustments can be made if numbers shift.
The public comment period preceded the board's business items; the board later voted to approve superintendent action items 9.03–9.19 (with item 9.04 previously approved) by a 5‑0 tally. Trustees and staff said that, because the staffing decisions rest on projected enrollments and contract caps, the district can revisit assignments and bring staff back if counts or other conditions change.
Next steps: Trustees asked staff to continue monitoring enrollment and master‑schedule impacts and said any necessary staffing reversals or reassignments would follow contract rules and be reported back to the board.
