Marysville board approves staff reductions, prompting warnings about counselor and wellness-center cuts

On Feb. 25, 2025, the Marysville Joint Unified School District Board of Trustees approved resolutions to reduce and discontinue certain certificated and classified services as part of ongoing budget reductions, prompting warnings from teachers and union leaders about cuts to elementary counselors and the district wellness center.

The board announced actions from closed session and later approved resolution 202425/19 to release temporary certificated employees and motions implementing reductions for certificated employees (agenda item 21.4) and classified employees (agenda item 21.5). Board votes on the recorded items were carried by unanimous voice vote (6-0). The board also authorized the Assistant Superintendent of Personnel Services to serve required notices related to those personnel actions.

Why it matters: union leaders and school staff said the specific reductions, as presented, would put student supports at risk. Angela Steagall, president of the Marysville Unified Teachers Association, told the board that the announced cuts appeared to fall heavily on employees and that promised protections for elementary counselors discussed during mediation had not been honored; she said the district planned to reduce four counselors (later five) and then split remaining counselors across sites in ways she called ineffective.

Wellness center at risk: Jolene Veil, a wellness-center paraeducator at Marysville High, said the center had recorded more than 2,000 student check-ins this year and distributed clothing and emergency supports; she warned that without the paraeducator role the wellness center would have to remain closed much of the school day because the school social worker is already providing therapy and crisis support and cannot staff the space simultaneously. "Students can't learn if they don't feel safe, supported, and seen," Veil said.

Union concerns about process and evaluations: MUTA representatives also urged the board to ensure observation and evaluation processes are followed before issuing non-reelect notices, saying some employees received non-reelect notices before a full evaluation. The union framed the RIFs as especially painful during a period the union described as a teacher-shortage environment.

Board response and outcome: District staff presented the resolutions as part of the budget-reduction plan and recommended approval. The board carried the resolutions by unanimous votes. The board record indicates formal motions and seconds were made and that the motions carried without recorded opposition; specific names for each yes vote were not read into the public record during the voice votes recorded in the transcript.

Next steps: The district authorized personnel staff to serve required notices to affected employees and to implement the resolutions. The board did not reverse the adopted reductions at this meeting; members and staff indicated further budget- and negotiation-related steps will follow in subsequent meetings.

Provenance: This article summarizes discussion and votes recorded at the Marysville Joint Unified School District board meeting on Feb. 25, 2025 (topic introduced SEG 1081; last related transcript text appears SEG 1284).