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Parents and community groups press PVUSD to reinstate Barios Unidos after contract cancellation
Summary
Dozens of parents, youth and community leaders urged the board to restore the Barios Unidos mentoring program and demanded transparency about the district’s decision to cancel the contract at PV High; multiple speakers described urgent student safety and anti‑bullying work the group provided.
A string of emotional public comments at the June 11 Pajaro Valley Unified School District board meeting put a spotlight on community anger over the district’s decision to end a contract with Barios Unidos, a community mentoring and restorative program.
Parents, former students and program leaders told the board the group provided crisis intervention, cultural programming and court advocacy for hundreds of local students. Speakers described cases in which Barios Unidos mentors helped students who had been bullied, prevented suspensions and enabled students to graduate. "They were the only ones who stood by us and understood and heard us," one parent said, crediting Omar Diegas and the organization with keeping a child in school.
Multiple commenters asked the board to release the documentation and rationale behind the contract cancellation. "We asked for explanation for the principal — he refused to put it on paper," said another parent. Several said they had made repeated appeals to administrators without a written explanation. Community leaders also asked the board to put an apology to Dr. Allison Tintango Kubales on a future agenda, noting the relationship strain earlier public disputes created.
Why it matters: Barios Unidos and similar community groups play a role in mentoring and reengagement efforts in districts with high needs. Parents said the group’s absence would leave a gap in culturally grounded supports at PV High and other sites. Trustees and staff acknowledged the public comments and said some of the requests had been forwarded to agenda‑setting for future consideration.
What the board said: Trustees thanked commenters and acknowledged the depth of feeling. Trustee Medina moved publicly to seek a resolution and a report involving Barios Unidos on a future agenda; counsel warned that items requiring deliberation must be agendaized in advance under the Brown Act. The board approved a process for members to request future agenda items but said it could not deliberate on unposted matters tonight.
What’s next: Community members sought a concrete date for agenda placement; trustees said agenda‑setting will consider the requests for the June 26 meeting but cautioned that Brown Act notice requirements limit same‑night deliberations.
