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Parents, teachers and students urge Marysville board to keep Ella Elementary assistant principal full time
Summary
Multiple students, teachers and staff told the Marysville Joint Unified board that moving Assistant Principal Susan Lima to a half‑time post would harm safety, continuity and instruction at Ella Elementary, citing caseloads, program growth and intervention data.
Parents, students, teachers and staff urged the Marysville Joint Unified School District Board of Trustees on May 26 to reverse a proposed move that would reduce Ella Elementary’s assistant principal to a half‑time role.
Second‑grade student Milani Gudenias opened public comment, telling trustees she would be “sad” if Assistant Principal Susan Lima were reassigned and asking the board to ‘‘please reconsider keeping her at our school.’’ Jenny Furtado, a kindergarten teacher, said Lima “fills big shoes” and that the school would “trip over the gap” if the position were cut to part time. “You can’t build trust in shifts,” Furtado said.
Counselor Jack Yang provided operational detail, saying the site recorded roughly 1,183 interventions this school year, that 304 were entered by Lima and that about 70% of referrals went directly to her. Yang said Ella’s enrollment is growing and that operating with a 50% vice principal would undermine the school’s ability to support students and staff.
Educator Angela Yang and teacher Carol Finau highlighted demographics and workload: Angela Yang said Ella serves about 609 students, including 211 English learners, 105 students with disabilities, 53 students experiencing homelessness and 142 chronically absent students; Finau noted the site will have many first‑ and second‑year teachers and estimated 44 administrative observations just for new teachers next year.
Speakers framed the issue as one of safety, instruction and continuity rather than personnel preference. Former Ella student Vicente Cuevas said a full‑time assistant principal “isn’t just adding a staff member, it’s protecting the classroom for kids,” arguing that a daily administrative presence prevents repeated classroom disruptions that accumulate into lost instructional time.
The trustees heard the concerns during the public‑comment portion of the meeting; no formal personnel action was taken in open session on May 26. The board had announced in open session earlier that it took disciplinary action in closed session (see separate report). The district’s next regular board meeting is scheduled for June 9, 2026, where trustees could take further action or request additional information from staff.
