Salinas Union board faces public pushback over LCAP cuts and proposed high-level hires

The Salinas Union High School District Board of Trustees heard more than an hour of public comment Thursday evening, with parents, staff and community organizers urging the board to delay adoption of proposals they said would reduce direct student services while creating new high-cost administrative positions.

Parents and community organizers at the meeting said the district’s Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) draft shows a $625,000 reduction in instructional services under Goal 1. Alma Laredo, a parent organizer with Building Healthy Communities, told trustees that the community had not been consulted about several new job descriptions and that the cuts contradict earlier assurances that funding would prioritize student programs. “How will the district ensure that all students achieve at high levels and that equity gaps are eliminated if you have explained there is not enough money?” she asked.

The board heard similar concerns from several teachers and staff. Carolyn Cleaves, a staff member at Alisal High School, raised logistical questions about a proposed cell-phone policy that would allow staff to confiscate phones, asking who would be responsible for enforcement and secure storage. Community member Katie Bassler pressed the board to remove several new management job descriptions from the consent calendar, saying presenting them without a first reading was not transparent and asking whether positions would be charged to the general fund or to LCAP resources.

The objections came as the administration previewed several new district roles in the performance-based budget process, including a chief-of-staff position and a director of secondary principals — roles administrators said would expand leadership capacity and provide day-to-day support to principals. Superintendent Dr. Galvan said the district’s workload and the scope of board-directed initiatives have increased, making an administrative support position necessary: “With growing complexity and need, it’s not humanly possible for the superintendent to do all of it and still respond to the daily needs of the district,” he said.

Board members and the superintendent emphasized the positions identified in the budget process are not funded out of the LCAP, and that sites seeking new site-level roles such as a school climate coordinator would use community-schools or other site funds if chosen. Trustees said some items — including duplicate consent items the board removed — will return for fuller discussion. President Via and several trustees asked staff to obtain clearer funding-source descriptions before the June 23 follow-up meeting.

While speakers criticized the timing and transparency for the personnel proposals, labor and community leaders also offered supportive comments. Chris Barrera of LUAC Council 2055 thanked the board for recent initiatives that have increased student engagement and called for continued focus on reading and math achievement.

What’s next: The district will return to the board June 23 with revised language, further documentation of funding sources, and additional opportunity for community feedback prior to the June 30 LCAP and budget deadlines.