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Teachers and health‑services staff warn board that pink slips threaten TK ratios and student safety
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Summary
Transitional‑kindergarten teachers, school nurses and health‑services technicians told the board that pink slips issued to TK aides and central health staff risk violating the state’s 1:10 TK ratio and disrupting vaccines, 504 coordination and emergency response; staff urged a transition plan and rescinding notices.
Transitional‑kindergarten teachers and district health‑services staff used public comment time at the March 19 board meeting to press trustees to reverse layoff notices and craft a clear transition plan, warning that sudden reductions would break state staffing requirements and jeopardize student health services.
Teachers from multiple sites described the TK aide role as essential. Tiffany Colasanti, a TK teacher, said the district’s move to eliminate all TK instructional aide positions conflicts with the law’s 1:10 adult‑to‑child ratio and the stated purpose of TK: “TK is a critical bridge here for 4‑year‑olds.” She asked the board to rescind elimination notices and produce a plan explaining how the district will maintain ratios if aides are cut, shuffled or lose hours.
Health‑services staff provided a detailed account of central functions that would be affected. Rebecca Wall, a Health Services Technician with twelve years at the district, said the central team coordinates AEDs, maintains calibration and supplies for screening equipment, runs immunization clinics and manages special medical needs. “The staff that are being laid off coordinate 143 AEDs,” Wall said, listing other equipment and services handled centrally and warning that losing institutional knowledge could lead to medical complications or worse.
Nurses and health‑services representatives noted legal and operational obligations such as mandated vision and hearing screenings for more than 10,000 students and the requirement to maintain immunization and 504 compliance records. Nicole Montanet and Nali Hines, both school nurses, urged the board to consider the downstream operational risk of eliminating clerical and coordination roles that enable nurses to provide direct student care.
Board response and next steps: Trustees acknowledged the concerns and asked staff for clearer transition and contingency plans. During discussion of the district’s broader fiscal strategy, the board authorized unfreezing the CBO position to accelerate budget work and asked staff to return with program‑level budget details and a staffing plan for essential services.
Why it matters: TK classrooms are legally required to maintain a 1:10 adult‑to‑child ratio; lapses can trigger corrective action and fines. Staff and community speakers warned that layoffs without planned replacements or adequate hiring processes would create both legal liability and operational gaps in student health and safety.
What speakers asked for: Rescind pink slips for TK instructional aides or provide a proposal that maintains required ratios; develop a transition plan for central health services staff that preserves immunization tracking, IEP/504 coordination, AED maintenance and other life‑safety functions; engage unions and affected staff in planning to reduce harm.
