Students and staff urge board to save VASE AutoCAD class and restore SAP liaison; therapists warn caseloads are unsustainable

Several public commenters at the June 22 Ventura Unified School District board meeting urged the board to restore locally run CTE courses and student-support positions they say were cut or left in limbo.

Jackson Bailey, who identified himself as an AutoCAD student at VASE, told trustees the decision to end the district's adult‑education CAD offerings left him and future students uncertain about certification pathways. "I was given an ultimatum and told to either accept a refund or pick another," Bailey said, asking the board to "save CAD, save VASE."

Scott Collins, a VASE instructor, described industry demand for graduates trained in AutoCAD and SolidWorks and said his classroom has been used as a test center for industry exams. "My current students have almost guaranteed jobs there," Collins said, and he asked the board to reinstate the 3D modeling/drafting and construction-trades programs in adult ed.

Multiple staff members addressed student-support staffing. Marie Tsimurelez, an occupational therapist, said the district's school-based OTs and assistants form a team of eight covering all sites and asserted their average caseload is "70 students per therapist," a figure she contrasted with the American Occupational Therapy Association guidance of about 41—50 students. Colleague Kelsey Bannon said high caseloads have led to contract therapists terminating contracts and candidates declining positions.

Nadia Herrera urged the board to bring back the Student Assistance Program (SAP) liaison position, saying the program has lost continuity after the liaison left. "A program having five different counselors rotating week to week does not give any sustainability," she said, and asked trustees to consider the program's MOU and staffing plan.

In response, staff and trustees discussed restored county behavioral-health grant confirmations and the district's process for allocating grant and categorical funds. Dr. Bayless said staff had recently received confirmation of a county grant (PEI/EI) and that the district would work to apply grant dollars in ways consistent with funding rules. "Now that we have some details around that, we have the flexibility to do that," Dr. Bayless said.

The board did not make direct hires during the meeting but gave staff direction to restore counselor FTE and to return with memos explaining how grant funds and district allocations will be deployed. Trustees and staff also agreed to provide clearer documentation on site-initiative criteria and LCAP actions to make future allocations more transparent to the public.

What to watch: staff said they will provide a board memo describing which positions will be restored, corresponding funding sources (general fund, Prop 28, Title, or grants), and a timeline for rehiring or reallocation.