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Public commenters urge review of ed-tech, community schools, HR policy and paraprofessional pay
Summary
During public comment, Jessica Tillman raised concerns about district spending on digital learning tools, student screen time and data privacy; Raquel Molina urged a formal witness-statement policy for HR; and Richard Stripp called for higher paraprofessional and substitute pay.
Three members of the public and school staff addressed the board during the public comment period on March 10, raising concerns and recommendations for district policy.
Jessica Tillman, a community member, questioned the district’s use of digital learning platforms such as IXL, BrainPOP and Khan Academy and asked whether the district has reviewed learning outcomes and data practices tied to those tools. "The district spends a lot of money on these programs and electronic devices," Tillman said, expressing concern about screen time and mental health and saying families should be intentional about how programs are used.
Tillman also cautioned board members about community school partnerships, noting some school-based health models elsewhere have included services she described as potentially controversial. She said she was not alleging that the district provides such services but urged the board to "be very careful who you partner with." The chair cut off the speaker when her time expired and directed her to submit written materials for the record if she wished to continue.
Raquel Molina, who said she is a human resources core coordinator, urged the board and superintendent to adopt a policy governing witness statements and documentation requested by administrators and parents. Molina said employees have expressed distrust of current HR practices and that a clear, uniform policy could reduce perceptions of retaliation. "It is illegal under federal and state laws for HR coordinators to retaliate against employees for reporting discrimination," she said, and requested the district draft a policy specifying responsibilities, prompt written records and notarization where appropriate.
Doctor Richard Stripp, an ESE teacher, asked the board to consider raising paraprofessional and substitute pay, saying some paraprofessionals and long-term substitutes earn about $15–$16 an hour and face difficult living costs. "The ESE paraprofessionals are the glue that holds our ESE classrooms together," he said, and urged higher pay to improve recruitment and retention for 1-on-1 positions.
Board members acknowledged the comments and thanked speakers; no formal board action was taken during the meeting on these public requests.
