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Teachers’ union presses Beaumont Unified on special‑education staffing and use of Prop 28 funds
Summary
The district’s teachers’ association told trustees that seven of 14 recent certificated departures were special‑education positions and urged the district to hire fully credentialed art and music teachers with Proposition 28 funds instead of relying heavily on outside contracted providers.
A representative of the Beaumont Teachers Association told the Board of Trustees on March 4 that special‑education staffing losses are disproportionate and urged the district to invest in permanent, fully credentialed positions.
Chase, speaking for the teachers’ association, said that of 14 certificated personnel changes approved by the board, seven involved special‑education positions and that pattern suggests systemic problems in recruitment, retention or support for special‑education staff.
Chase also raised concerns about the district’s use of Proposition 28 (arts and music) funding. The representative said the district was using a large portion of that money for contracted providers who may not be fully credentialed and encouraged trustees to use the funds to hire Beaumont Unified employees for art and music instruction so those positions could provide consistent staffing and broader use across sites.
Chase said the association has proposed creative scheduling so that elementary teachers receive additional prep time while students receive arts instruction from fully credentialed district staff. The board acknowledged the concerns and the teachers’ representative said the union looks forward to continuing bargaining to address retention and staffing issues.
No formal action was taken on the staffing concerns at the meeting; the issues were recorded as part of regular reports to the board.
