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AUTA president urges the board to safeguard arts and address rising behavior and turnover
Summary
Sarah Liebert, AUTA president, told the board teacher turnover and disruptive behavior are undermining instruction and warned that any restructuring should not reduce arts access or misuse Prop 28 funds; she urged transparent plans to preserve or increase arts staffing at elementary sites.
Sarah Liebert, president of AUTA, used her association comment time to press the board on teacher retention, student behavior problems in early grades, and potential changes to elementary arts delivery.
Liebert said the district has lost multiple core teachers at several sites and described escalating behaviors in TK–K (elopement, hitting, biting) that she said disrupt the whole class. She warned the board to scrutinize any restructuring of TK arts that could reduce services, saying Prop 28 was passed "to expand and protect the arts education, not to reduce or dilute it." She asked the board to ensure Prop 28 funds would add to — not backfill — existing arts programs and to preserve arts staff and access at all elementary sites, particularly for the youngest learners.
Board members and staff acknowledged the concerns and said further planning and LCAP alignment would be used to protect arts access while addressing staffing and behavioral supports.
