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Acting superintendent clarifies reappointments, RIFs and charter approval; board urged patience on fiscal recovery
Summary
Acting superintendent Dr. Perez and board members explained that reappointments were internal, no new administrative hires were added, departmental staffing was reduced about 30% during budget balancing, and a charter school approval was announced pending final procedural steps.
Acting superintendent Dr. Perez told the board the district did not add new administrative positions in the recent personnel actions and that many of the people reappointed are existing employees who have worked in the district for more than a year.
Dr. Perez said some departments were reduced by about 30% as part of budget balancing and that the district accounted for vacant positions in the budget; staffing changes were constrained in some cases because employees on the RIF list do not hold the specific certifications required for certain openings. "We did not only reappoint individuals who have been in the we also reappointed teachers in that group," Dr. Perez said, adding that decisions about reassigning staff depend on certification and posted job groups.
A finance presenter told the board the "not to exceed $5 million" figure listed in reserve-authorizing resolutions is a blanket cap and not evidence that the district currently holds $5 million in surplus. "We're not saying we have $5 million. It's really just... a blanket amount," the presenter said, noting the auditor determines the excess-surplus figure used to set the reserve amounts.
The board was also told the charter school application has been approved; final procedural steps remain before the charter would take effect for the 2026–27 school year. The meeting record did not provide the name of the approved charter operator or the remaining administrative steps, and the speaker who announced the approval did not supply further scheduling details.
Why it matters: clarifications from the acting superintendent and staff address community concerns about apparent unexpected hiring and the existence of large, unallocated funds. The discussion underscores constraints on reassigning staff (state certification and budgeted vacancies) and the difference between a budget ceiling and actual available surplus funds.
Next steps: the board will finalize any paperwork for appointments and reappointments and the administration will follow up with the public record to confirm precise salary figures, the identity of the charter operator (if not already published elsewhere) and formal minutes documenting abstentions and failed item 5B.
