Cedar Lane teachers and union warn board of severe turnover, safety and morale problems

A Cedar Lane Elementary teacher who has worked in the school since 1996 and the Marysville Unified Teachers Association on Tuesday urged the Marysville Joint Unified School District board to act after describing years of staff turnover, declining morale and student‑safety concerns.

"We began the 2021–22 school year with 25 teachers. By the start of 2024–25 only 11 of the original 25 teachers remained," Sandra Kitchens told trustees during public comment, laying out staff losses across classified and certificated positions and saying the departures have damaged campus stability and programs. "Staff morale is at an all‑time low."

Kitchens said extracurricular participation has fallen and described what she said was an inappropriate response to a medical incident in September 2021, when teachers were reportedly told to wait for the school nurse or principal before calling 911. "Imagine your child experiencing a medical emergency in the classroom, only for the teacher to be told they must wait for either the school nurse or the principal to assess the situation before calling 911," she said.

Angela Steagall, president of the Marysville Unified Teachers Association, echoed those concerns during both the employee‑organization time and the LCAP public hearing. Steagall said the union has watched problems at Cedar Lane for months and warned that unless local leadership resolves ongoing issues the district risks losing more teachers, staff and parent engagement. "We are doing our level best to remain hopeful that the ongoing issues at Cedar Lane can be resolved very, very soon before we lose even more teachers," she said.

District staff did not announce immediate new personnel actions at Tuesday's meeting. Acting Superintendent Jordan Reed and other staff highlighted recent district accomplishments and noted retirements the district is managing, but the meeting record shows no formal board action taken on site leadership at Cedar Lane during the session. Trustees heard the public comments during the open‑comment period and proceeded with scheduled presentations and hearings on the district LCAP and budget.

School officials at the meeting repeatedly emphasized professional development, parent engagement and specific programs intended to support staff and students across the district, including initiatives targeted at English learners and community‑school efforts. The union urged the district to address staffing assignments, preserve certificated positions where legal requirements apply, and to find alternatives to certain online credit‑recovery platforms the union called inadequate.

The board did not take a vote on Cedar Lane leadership or staffing changes at the meeting. Trustees will consider formal items and the district LCAP at follow‑up meetings; the board confirmed the next regular meeting is scheduled for June 24, 2025.