Kennedy students and families urge board to keep teacher Nayeli Hernandez amid staffing reassignments

Dozens of Kennedy High students, parents and colleagues urged the West Contra Costa Unified School District board on June 3 to preserve a teaching position for Nayeli Hernandez, a social studies and leadership teacher whom community speakers said the school cannot afford to lose.

Community speakers described Hernandez as a steadying presence and said existing unassigned FTE could be allocated to keep her on campus. "She is a staple at our school," said Christina Huerta, a Kennedy student ("Christina Huerta, Kennedy High School"). "We need stability at Kennedy, and Miss Hernandez gives us that." Jackie Avedano, a Kennedy ethnic studies teacher, told the board Hernandez had taken on responsibilities including credit recovery classes, assistant athletic director duties and leadership instruction: "It is feasible to work out a position for her, and we need your support to keep Miss Hernandez at Kennedy."

Hernandez spoke for herself, requesting clarity on how surplus decisions were made and asking for respectful, timely communication with staff. "I've been told that the reason for my displacement is insufficient enrollment in a surplus within my department," she said. "I would like to understand how the original decision was made beyond those numbers. At what point were my background experience, seniority, service, and contributions to Kennedy students considered?"

Speakers repeatedly asked the board to assign available fractional FTE to a position that would allow Hernandez to remain at Kennedy next year. Gian Maldonado, who works with the All Student Congress, urged the board to “allocate the FTE that is left over and allocating it to a teacher who wants to be at Kennedy.” Students and parents described Hernandez’s everyday work, including after‑school commitments and ongoing communication with families.

Board members did not take immediate action to reassign staff during the meeting. In later budget discussion, trustees directed the superintendent and staff to prepare a resolution for the next meeting that could adjust the fiscal solvency plan and related allocations; speakers who supported Hernandez expressed hope those budget decisions would preserve site staffing.

Why it matters: Kennedy community members framed the dispute as both a personnel and equity issue, saying losing an established teacher would further destabilize a high‑needs site and affect programs students value. The public testimony came during a broader discussion of budget pressures and unallocated FTE that the board is expected to address at its June 24 meeting.

What’s next: The board asked staff to draft a resolution that could change near‑term budget assumptions; trustees said they would consider bringing any staffing‑related changes back for action at a future meeting.