Chula Vista board votes to restore hours after staff say they were not properly notified of reductions

The Chula Vista Elementary School District Board of Education voted to restore hours and compensate classified employees who were not properly notified about reductions after public commenters and trustees raised concerns about legal notice and lost benefits.

At a special meeting, trustee Tamayo moved to approve Item 8D with the explicit caveat that the district “restore the hours” and “make them whole” for the employees who did not receive proper notification; the motion passed three to one, with one trustee absent. Recording votes were taken by roll call.

Claudia Pedatella, a public commenter, urged the board to act after describing classified staff who “showed up every single day” and were being shifted to shorter hours and lower-paid positions. Pedatella said partial layoffs had forced some employees below the 20-hour threshold that provides benefits and accused the district of failing to provide legal notice under the Education Code: “These employees received emails only, which violates Ed Code,” she said.

Trustee Ramirez Dominguez described reading the layoff lists as “deeply saddening” and pressed the administration for details about which positions would be preserved or reclassified. District administrators acknowledged that some employees whose hours were reduced were notified by phone or email and said certified letters had not been sent in every case.

A district official told the board that staff members who were not properly notified would “most likely be made whole” and that the district would restore pay and benefits where appropriate. The board’s motion specified restoring hours and pay for the roughly a dozen employees identified during the discussion.

Board members and staff also discussed reclassifying some BSA positions to student attendant or instructional assistant roles as part of next year’s staffing projections. Trustees emphasized that restoring pay should be retroactive for any loss attributable to the notification error.

The board approved the motion to restore hours by roll call (three aye, one nay, one absent). The administration did not provide a precise timeline during the meeting for when restored pay would be processed, saying it would follow internal procedures to confirm positions and documentation.

What’s next: The board’s direction requires staff follow-up to confirm eligible employees, finalize any necessary paperwork and execute retroactive pay. The district indicated it expects to rescind or adjust certain layoff listings as positions are confirmed.