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Parents and staff press board on class sizes, school safety and staffing during public comment
Summary
Multiple parents and staff urged the board to address overcrowded TK/kindergarten classes, demanded clearer incident reporting after a safety incident at Tunnel School, and called for renewed attention to classified‑staff bargaining and morale.
Several members of the public used the board's public comment period on Oct. 8 to press the Santa Maria Bonita School District for action on classroom overcrowding, school safety and labor issues.
Jessica Rubacaba, a teacher and parent at Himenez Elementary, said Himenez is the district's largest school and reported TK classes capped at 24 and kindergarten classes with 32 students, and asked the board to consider opening another TK or kindergarten section given capacity constraints. "It is nearly impossible for me as a teacher to be able to provide the adequate support for all of my learners," she said, and urged trustees to review boundary lines and enrollment practices.
Katherine Gross told the board that her six‑year‑old son was stabbed in the back with a pencil at Tunnel School; she said she first learned of the incident from her child and criticized inconsistent accounts from an assistant principal and a lack of timely notification to parents. Gross called for transparency and "timely, honest incident reporting" and said inclusion policies must not come at the expense of safety.
Patrick Flattley, another Tunnel parent, described repeated troubling incidents involving the same student and urged the board to examine inclusion and progressive‑discipline practices to ensure safety for all students. He said many families have similar stories and asked the district to review the policies and their implementation.
Jennifer Ellsworth, a CSEA employee and longtime district worker, requested that trustees inquire into stalled classified‑staff negotiations, questioned whether the board values classified staff contributions and asked for greater board engagement in management bargaining updates. An additional commenter criticized recent supervisory hires and promotions while classified staff were told raises were limited.
Board response and next steps: Trustees acknowledged the concerns; several asked staff to follow up. No formal policy action was taken at the meeting; parents and staff were encouraged to engage with district staff and the board to pursue follow‑up meetings and potential policy or boundary reviews.
