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East Side Union High trustees approve supplemental early-retirement plan as community urges protections for support staff and a dismissed swim coach
Summary
Trustees approved a supplemental early-retirement (SER) resolution intended to reduce layoffs by encouraging eligible staff to retire early; parents and union representatives urged the board to reinstate a dismissed swim coach and to preserve bilingual and support positions that community members say are critical to student attendance and safety.
The East Side Union High School District Board of Trustees on March 5 voted to adopt a supplemental early-retirement (SER) program intended to reduce the scope of layoffs tied to the district’s budget shortfall.
Associate district staff presented the board with projections that the SER payout, disbursed over five years, could yield roughly $70 million in gross savings over that timeframe and about $1.4 million per year on average, based on an assumption that many retirees’ positions would be filled at a lower step and column ("column C, step two"). Associate Superintendent Tom told trustees the staff recommendation was driven by two goals: yield cost savings and reduce the number of employees who would otherwise receive layoff notices amid a one-year reforce of approximately $12 million.
Why it matters: Board members said the SER is intended to lessen the number of formal layoff notices issued this spring while the district continues broader budget work, including remaining fiscal-year estimates and any one-time funds that might change staffing decisions.
During discussion trustees pressed staff for the assumptions underlying the savings projection and asked for a retrospective analysis comparing prior SER projections with actual outcomes. "We would like an analysis of the prior SER, the same assumptions, how we arrived at it and whether we actually had material savings as we thought we would," a trustee said, asking the district’s independent auditor to assist. Staff agreed to prepare that analysis.
Public comment and personnel concerns: The SER item drew extended public comment from teachers’ union and community representatives and dozens of parents and students who urged the board to protect front-line support roles. Julio Pardo, president of CSA Chapter 187, questioned differences in per-person savings between groups and said the administration’s per-person estimates for administrators appeared unusually low. "I just can't believe administration only saves you $2,200 per person over five years," Pardo said, asking staff to show detailed calculations.
Multiple parents and school staff described work performed by parent/community involvement specialists (sometimes referred to in testimony as "pieces") and bilingual staff, saying those positions provide bus passes, home visits and translation that keep vulnerable students in class. One commenter described a family housed in a motel whose issues were resolved with the help of a school support specialist; another said, "If you eliminate this position, you are choosing a district where some families have full access and others don't." Those speakers urged the board to prioritize retaining counselors, social workers and bilingual liaisons.
Athletics-related public comment: Several parents and the coach at the center of a recent dismissal also spoke. Parent Jeremy Dalton asked the board to "review and reconsider the termination of our swim coach, Coach Adrien Martinez," saying the dismissal occurred days into the season and left athletes without a permanent replacement. Coach Adrien Martinez, who addressed the board during public comment, summarized her four years at Independence High and described program goals she said she will no longer be able to pursue.
Board action and next steps: Trustees moved and carried the staff recommendation to adopt the SER resolution (referenced in staff materials as the 2025/2026 series); the board's votes on consent and subsequent personnel items at the meeting were recorded as unanimous. Staff noted employees receiving layoff notices must be informed by March 15 and reiterated that budget discussions will continue in coming weeks, including how to treat any one-time funds or May Revise developments.
What comes next: Staff committed to return with an analysis of prior SER outcomes using consistent assumptions, coordinated with the district’s independent auditor. The board also directed continued budget review and indicated any decisions to rescind or amend notices would be made collectively after additional fiscal information is available.
