Teachers and labor leaders press El Rancho Unified for class-size, literacy and mental‑health plans

Trustees at the El Rancho Unified School District board meeting on Aug. 19 heard repeated public testimony from teachers, union leaders and parents pressing the district to tackle rising class sizes, clarify literacy goals and expand mental‑health services.

Elizabeth Buskkins, a classroom teacher, told the board her caseload jumped from 152 students last year to 196 this year and that some classes reached as many as 45 students. "Smaller class sizes are not about comfort or convenience. They are about connection, engagement, and equity," Buskkins said, adding that unfilled retirements and reassignment of intervention staff had forced teachers to absorb additional classes.

Christina Badia told trustees the district lacked a cohesive literacy action plan and clear goals for assessing literacy progress. She said pulling ELA interventionists into non‑instructional roles had increased ELA class sizes and complicated efforts to improve reading outcomes, even as the district continues long‑running independent reading programs.

Union representatives echoed those concerns during the labor association report, noting ongoing construction problems at multiple sites (unfinished flooring, malfunctioning air conditioning and stacked classroom furniture) that reduced teachers' preparation time. The union asked the district to clarify whether mainstreamed students count toward class‑size ratios and to provide clearer payroll descriptions so staff know the funding source and purpose of extra pay.

Superintendent Dr. Viegas and cabinet members outlined mental‑health services already available: an employee assistance program (EASE) through the Los Angeles County Office of Education, a contracted telehealth clinician (Abraham Nunes Telles) offering grief and bereavement support, school‑based mental‑health counselors at every site, grant‑funded roving counselors, wellness centers at some schools, and a 16‑intern program to expand services. The administration also announced an attendance outreach day on Sept. 25 and said materials on counseling and referral processes are posted on the district website.

Trustees responded by requesting three formal future agenda items: a districtwide VAPA (visual and performing arts) plan tied to Prop 28 funding, a districtwide tutoring plan, and a literacy and numeracy plan. District staff described recent expansions in tutoring supports: some sites are increasing from three to eight tutors and are partnering with external providers (Prep/AVID) whose work will be monitored by student outcome metrics such as D/F rates and interim assessments. Staff said monthly reports and dashboards showing sessions and student outcomes will be available.

The board did not take formal action on class‑size limits or mandate immediate hiring during the meeting; instead trustees directed staff to return with the requested plans and monitoring data. Several trustees also asked for followup on specific public‑comment concerns, including school safety reports and curriculum questions raised by commenters.

The meeting record shows continued emphasis on monitoring and evidence: district staff said they will provide monthly tutor reports (student counts, session numbers and location) and will propose timelines for assessing program effectiveness before asking the board to expand contracts further.

Next steps: trustees approved motions to place the VAPA, tutoring, and literacy/numeracy plans on a future agenda for formal consideration and requested that staff bring assessment timelines and monitoring dashboards to support those proposals.