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Teachers urge board to avoid 'combination' classes and to use reserves to keep class sizes small
Summary
Several teachers and substitutes urged trustees to keep classes small, citing staffing shortages, unsafe playground conditions and behavior challenges. The speakers asked the district to use reserves and prioritize students for 2025–26 rather than shifting to combination classes.
Two teachers addressed the board during public comment, urging trustees to resist classroom consolidations that would create combination classes for the 2025–26 school year. Lisa McBroom, a kindergarten teacher at Evie Kane, said the district has seen school closures, staff churn and large behavioral needs and asked the board to "keep these classes small" so families will return to AUSD.
A substitute teacher, Julie Bishop, described a near miss on the playground when a student threw a rock, framed that incident as symptomatic of broader behavior and supervision issues, and asked for a clearer discipline policy aligned with PBIS and consistent negative consequences so teachers feel safe. The board acknowledged the concerns and heard them in the context of budget pressures and ongoing staffing shortages; no formal action was taken, but trustees requested continued focus on staffing, safety and use of reserves.
