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Parents and teachers press WCCUSD board on janitor reassignments, yard supervisors and school safety
Summary
Public commenters told the board that reassigning night custodians, cutting yard supervisors and insufficient school-level data undermine student safety and fairness; speakers asked the district to preserve local staff and provide clearer site-level spending and civil-rights metrics.
Several members of the public used the June 24 board meeting's public-comment period to press the district on staff reallocations and school safety.
Jean Kinner (Verdie) told trustees the school lost seventh- and eighth-grade classes and then learned its night custodian had been reassigned to another site. "Do not take our staff to another school," Kinner said, explaining the result would be destabilizing for students and campus cleanliness. Fairmont parent Sandy Davis said cuts to yard-supervisor funding would worsen safety at sites with multiple portables and blind spots and urged the board not to eliminate yard-duty positions.
Teachers and school staff also spoke: Christina Werta (Kennedy High School) and Zach Porter thanked district leaders for retaining programs at Kennedy and asked to remain included in scheduling and leadership conversations. Naelli Hernandez, who addressed the board after the community advocacy that kept her at Kennedy, said the process demonstrated the value of treating teachers and families as partners.
Community leaders pressed the board on equity and data transparency. Crystal Banigan asked why school-level financial reports and disaggregated disciplinary data were not published, and called for clarity on how retention and mentorship funds for Black educators are being spent. "Where's the evidence-based restorative justice frameworks that we've been promised?" she said.
Union and administrator remarks closed the public-comment block: Kim Chamberlain (SSA chapter president) thanked colleagues and reflected on union growth; Christine Gan Hatcher (West Contra Costa Administrators Association) recognized retirees and urged mutual respect.
Trustees heard the comments and directed staff to follow up: during subsequent agenda items they asked for a report on playground supervision by the first meeting in August and for updates on site-level allocations tied to the LCAP. The board's later fiscal discussion referenced these site-level concerns when trustees questioned whether one-time state funds should be used to stabilize staffing.
The public's testimony at the meeting highlighted the close link between district budget choices and day-to-day operations at schools, and trustees asked staff for concrete follow-up and timelines.
