El Segundo Unified votes to cut TLC lead teachers' day to 6.5 hours after parents and staff warn of losses

The El Segundo Unified Board of Education voted 3–2 on March 10 to reduce the workday for 14 lead teachers in the district’s Learning Connection (TLC) program from eight hours to 6.5 hours, effective Aug. 20, 2026.

District staff framed the change as a return to pre‑COVID scheduling that would reduce a projected program deficit by roughly $200,000. “This action item is a resolution to reduce the work hours of 14 TLC lead teacher positions from 8 hours to 6.5 hours per day effective 08/20/2026,” the district presenter said while recommending approval.

Parents and TLC staff flooded the public‑comment period with appeals to keep the schedule intact. “If families are investing in TLC, we hope that investment supports the people directly caring for our children,” parent Jen Hyatt told the board. Jackie Cruz, another parent, said she reviewed the district’s TLC budget and found apparent discrepancies in how costs were allocated, noting ELOP funding lines and questioning a $195,000 allocation for middle‑school sports.

TLC lead teachers described detailed daily tasks that they said require uninterrupted planning time. “Reducing hours and limiting preparation time will only make that challenge greater,” Kelsey Littleworth, a third‑grade lead and TLC teacher, told the board, adding that staff already struggle to recruit and retain qualified employees. Suzanne Lipscomb, who said the TLC program serves about 500 students and brings in more than $2,000,000 in revenue, called a $131,000 deficit “small” relative to the program’s scale and described how snack prep, attendance checks and transporting supplies consume prep time.

TLC staff also pressed the board on specific budget lines. Emily Manning Barton, a lead teacher, asked why a $73,308 field‑marshal line and an office assistant appeared in TLC staffing costs; district staff later said those field‑marshal positions were recently hired specifically for TLC and were completing onboarding.

At the dais, board members debated an amendment offered by one trustee that would have made the reduction voluntary—allowing existing employees to choose to remain at eight hours or accept the 6.5‑hour schedule. That amendment failed on a 2–3 vote. The underlying resolution then passed, 3–2.

Board members acknowledged the difficulty of the decision and asked staff to pursue mitigations discussed during the meeting, including: refining snack preparation to reduce teacher prep time, asking custodial staff to maintain outdoor seating areas, exploring digital attendance tools, and identifying other district assignments (nutrition services, new supervision roles) that could be available to TLC staff to recapture hours. The board chair said pay differentials tied to negotiated increases would apply to TLC positions when those districtwide changes occur.

The resolution affects only the TLC lead‑teacher positions named in the item and is scheduled to take effect for the 2026–27 school year. The board also directed staff to follow up on salary comparisons, a possible classified salary study and the detailed schedule that will define how the 6.5‑hour day operates in practice.

The board’s action came after a broader discussion of the TLC budget, program operations and districtwide fiscal pressures; trustees said they were trying to balance fiscal stewardship and program quality as other nearby districts consider deeper cuts.