Jacobson Middle School staff and parents warn board that administrative cuts and poor communication are harming students

Jacobson Middle School staff and parents told the Tehachapi Unified board on April 14 that recent administrative reductions have left the campus with insufficient leadership and that communication breakdowns are harming trust.

Jennifer Be Webb, attendance clerk at Jacobson Middle School, detailed the loss of a learning‑director position that she said left JMS with just one full administrator and a second administrator expected to absorb learning‑director duties. Webb said JMS serves roughly 864 students with two administrators and eight administrative office staff, compared with THS which has a larger administrative team despite comparable student numbers. "Those numbers are not sustainable," Webb said.

A parent of a Jacobson student also described an unresolved incident in which a student was instructed to practice an instrument in a storage closet; the parent said the vice principal had promised follow‑up that never arrived, leaving families feeling ignored and worried about student safety and communication.

Board members heard the concerns and acknowledged the need to examine staffing allocations and communication systems. Superintendent Brian Bell noted budget constraints but also outlined forthcoming personnel actions and invited further discussion during regular budget and staffing cycles.

Trustees did not take an immediate vote on staffing changes at the meeting; they asked administration to provide comparative staffing analyses and to include possible administrative staffing levels among proposals for the May meeting or future budget discussions.