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Teachers press Gilroy Unified board to protect prep time, lower class sizes and invest LCFF increases
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Summary
During public comment at the March board meeting dozen teachers and counselors urged the district to preserve protected prep time, reduce TK–3 and elementary class sizes, create permanent positions rather than temporary MOU-based posts, and use rising LCFF revenues to boost salaries and retain staff.
Multiple Gilroy Unified teachers, counselors and counselors’ allies delivered public comments asking the board to prioritize classroom staffing, protected planning time and pay increases over additional mandated meetings or administrative reductions.
Jennifer Humphreys, a dual-immersion kindergarten teacher and parent, described losing the district’s Wednesday protected prep time and a monthly planning day as a threat to classroom quality and family stability; she said she spends 15–18 hours per week outside the bell prepping and that taking away those windows of time would harm students.
Other speakers — including Molly Leach (26 years in the district), Adriana Flores (academic coordinator), a counselor reporting a caseload of 40 students, and several classroom teachers — raised similar concerns about growing class sizes, increased meeting loads, 504 coordination duties placed on counselors and long unpaid hours. They urged the board to invest one-time and ongoing LCFF increases in educator compensation, class-size reductions and permanent positions for roles currently funded temporarily through MOUs.
In the financial presentation that followed, union and GTA-affiliated commenters pointed to a $1.6 million net increase in unrestricted LCFF revenues and urged the board to direct those funds toward current classroom needs rather than carryover. Staff and the district business officer cautioned that rising special-education costs and attendance-based funding volatility complicate multi-year budgeting; the second interim was certified positive but shows planned drawdowns in later years without policy changes.
The board did not act on specific compensation requests at the meeting but approved standard procedural items and heard staff reports on budget assumptions. Union leaders said they will continue to press the district in negotiations for a salary increase and more classroom investment.
