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Community urges board to keep beloved custodial staffer 'Mr. David' amid transfers, cites contract concerns
Summary
Dozens of Dapprey Elementary students, parents and staff urged the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified board to reverse involuntary transfers of custodial staffers — especially 'Mr. David' — saying the moves harm students, violate CSEA Article 14.1 notice/meeting requirements and reflect poor communication from the district.
Dozens of students, parents and staff at the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District’s June 10 meeting urged trustees to reverse recent custodial reassignments, saying the moves sever long-standing relationships and violated the district’s collective bargaining processes.
“Mr. David is the heart of Dappo Gray,” parents and students told the board during an extended public-comment period. Multiple speakers described personal interactions and reliable day‑to‑day support from the custodian they call “Mr. David,” and said his reassignment would be a loss to students’ sense of safety and continuity.
Teacher Leila Kid said the district transferred two custodians without the contractual 10‑day written notice required by the CSEA collective bargaining agreement. “According to 14.1 of that collective bargaining agreement, an employee who is involuntarily transferred must be given a conference with their supervisor and a member of the CSEA — that has not been given to Mr. David,” Kid told the board.
Several young students offered short, emotional testimonies. “He gives out toys to everybody and makes all the students happy,” said a first grader who gave her name at the podium. Other parents echoed that the transfers came with little notice and asked the board to reconsider to protect the school’s stability.
Speaker Holly Rosner, citing CSEA Article 14.1, urged trustees to “fix this mistake,” saying the transfer notice given on Friday for an action that would take place the following Friday did not meet the 10‑day requirement listed in the contract.
Superintendent Dr. Deon Serrano acknowledged the many constituent messages the district had received about staffing assignments and said staffing decisions are made to meet operational and educational needs while noting personnel confidentiality limits how much detail the district can share. Serrano added the district would work to strengthen communication when changes occur.
Board and staff responses at the meeting focused on listening to community input and on improving the district’s notifications; no formal board action reversing transfers was announced at the session. Several speakers said they had filed petitions and asked the board to reopen the assignment decisions or follow the contract’s consultation steps.
What happens next: The public comment drew heavy applause and clear demands for the district to follow its collective bargaining agreement and to provide more transparent communications about personnel moves. The board did not vote on any personnel actions during the meeting; affected employees and precise personnel actions were not presented in open session for confidentiality reasons.
— Reported from the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District board meeting on June 10, 2026. Quotes and attributions come from public comments recorded at the meeting.
