Cloverdale Unified board approves second interim, moves forward with staff reductions as community protests library and ELD cuts

The Cloverdale Unified School District Board of Trustees approved the district's 2024-25 second interim financial report and passed two resolutions authorizing staff reductions, prompting extended public comment from teachers, classified employees and students.

District fiscal staff presented the second interim, reporting unrestricted revenues of about $17.7 million and noting that salaries and benefits account for the majority of those expenditures. The presentation said funded average daily attendance fell materially between the 2023-24 and 2024-25 reporting periods and that the district is projecting approximately $1.5 million in reductions for 2025-26. The board approved the second interim with a positive certification and discussed upcoming P2 attendance reporting due April 18 and the governor's May revise ahead of June budget adoption.

During the public-comment period and when the reductions were considered, Renee Duvander, president of the Teachers Association of Cloverdale, said the personnel cuts are not abstract. "These aren't just numbers; they represent real people who have given their time and dedication to this district," Duvander said, warning that the proposed 10.6 certificated FTE reduction would increase class sizes and reduce student supports.

Duvander also raised a specific instructional concern: cutting the only middle-school ELD (English Learner Development) position would leave newcomers in that grade without direct services. "Not having anyone to provide those services at the middle school is a significant deficit," she said.

Classified staff and students urged the board to preserve high-school library staffing. Kathleen Lynn, who identified herself as the CHS library manager, described how losing a 6.5-hour library manager position would close student access to borrowing, Chromebooks, printing and college- and scholarship-support services. CHS students also described the library as a key study space and a site for required research assignments.

Trustees made and seconded motions to approve Resolution 22512 (certificated reduction in force, 10.6 FTE) and Resolution 225-14 (elimination of permanent classified positions, ~5.93 FTE). The motions were carried as recorded in the meeting minutes.

The board also approved routine consent items and accepted a $500 donation from Cloverdale Rotary to Jefferson School.

Next steps: district staff will finalize P2 attendance numbers on April 18, return with any required budget adjustments after the governor's May revise, and post revised staffing lists as required by law.