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Lawndale board approves consent items including stipend increase as teachers warn cuts would swell class sizes
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Summary
The Lawndale Elementary School District board approved consent and superintendent items 9.03–9.21, including a resolution tied to AB 1390 that raises allowable trustee stipends, while public commenters and teachers warned proposed staff reductions could eliminate middle-school PE and push class sizes above safety guidelines.
The Lawndale Elementary School District board on April 16 voted 5–0 to approve consent and superintendent items 7.03–7.23 and 9.03–9.21, a package that included a resolution tied to Assembly Bill 1390 allowing the district to set trustee stipends based on average daily attendance.
During the public-comment period Sylvia Ortiz, speaking on behalf of the district’s teachers’ interests, said negotiations with the district had produced a tentative agreement but warned that proposed reductions could still eliminate the middle-school physical-education position and increase class sizes. "With the proposed reductions, class sizes are expected to exceed even this higher threshold," Ortiz said, citing California Department of Education planning guidance and the district’s collective-bargaining language. She also criticized a stipend on the agenda, saying "Compensation of a 200 per month, 14,400 annually, plus health benefits seems like extraordinary" while staff layoffs and program cuts were being discussed.
Samantha Weiss, a social-studies teacher and president of the Palos Verdes Faculty Association, told the board that large PE rosters are difficult to manage and raise safety and supervision concerns. "You are legally responsible for every child on your roster," Weiss said, describing experience in another district where classes reached 55 students. "It is not manageable."
Board members discussed the stipend item during consideration of the superintendent action items. Trustee Brooke Phillips and others noted that AB 1390 is state legislation that adjusts allowable pay limits by district ADA and that the board must adopt a local resolution to apply the change. A cabinet speaker said the adjustment "does come from the general fund" but framed AB 1390 as a long-overdue update to state law. Trustees clarified the increase is not retroactive to Jan. 1, 2026, and that eligibility for full stipend payment depends on members attending meetings and following the district’s adopted rules on prorated pay and hardship exceptions.
With a motion by Trustee Coronado and a second by Clerk Phillips, the board approved the package of superintendent items 9.03–9.21 and related consent items. The votes on the motions were recorded as 5–0.
The board also agreed to move items 9.03–9.06 earlier on the agenda so the meeting could honor library staff and other employees before proceeding with business.
What happens next: the board-approved superintendent items take effect per the district’s standard implementation procedures; the stipend adjustment adopted under the resolution will be administered according to the district’s policy and state law. Members of the public and union representatives said they will continue to press the board about staffing priorities, including the middle-school PE position.
