At its regular board meeting this week, the West Contra Costa Unified School District board of trustees heard from parents and teachers who decried what they see as a “staffing crisis” at multiple local schools.
About five teachers came forward during public comment to express their frustration. Educators described how heavy reliance on long-term substitutes hurts students and creates an unstable environment, placing the students at a disadvantage. A couple of counselors spoke, saying that some schools, like Pinole Middle School, have too many students and too few teachers, and cannot offer core classes like English literature.
Elections 2024: Meet the Richmond WCCUSD school board candidates.
The staffing issue resulted recently in a lawsuit from parents alleging untenable conditions at several schools. Public Advocates filed three Williams education code complaints in January, saying Stege Elementary and John F. Kennedy High School in Richmond, and Helms Middle School in San Pablo, lack adequate teachers or teachers who are competent in their assigned subject matter or qualified to work with English language learners.
Longtime Stege Elementary teacher Sam Cleare, organizing chair with United Teachers of Richmond, said that at least nine schools are “highly impacted” by vacancies.
“We need to support our teachers and place emphasis on them,” Cleare said. “I am concerned the vacancy crisis will continue to hurt our most vulnerable students. They also take more students when there aren’t even enough tables and chairs. We need to make places where students are proud to be, and where teachers and families are supported.”
Others expressed frustration that the district under-projected its likely revenue in June 2023, claiming that the miscalculation helped create the present staffing crisis.
Parent Cara-Lyn Giovanniello said that her child has suffered from inconsistent staffing at Washington Elementary.
“While we have a temporary substitute who has been wonderful and has provided support, they are lacking the credentials and experience to educate,” Giovanniello said. “There’s a lack of clarity about what’s going to happen, and if a teacher’s going to be returning or we get a permanent solution. We do believe the system as it stands right now in this district is failing our children.”
Board trustee Demetrio Gonzalez-Hoy agreed, telling the board that he thought any cuts that do take place in the future to account for a deficit should not impact classrooms.
“Our schools are in huge need. So if we do have to cut, we need to make those cuts outside of schools and outside of staff that work with our students,” he said.
2023-24 budget showed higher than expected revenue
The trustees approved unaudited financials at the meeting that showed the district had $6.6 million higher revenues and $10.5 million lower expenses than expected during the 2023-24 school year. Despite that, WCCUSD still faces a long-term structural deficit.
Teachers and parents wanted to know if this unexpected extra revenue would help prevent any potential cuts — the short answer was no.
WCCUSD last month passed a $509 million budget which taps its reserves to cover an estimated $23 million deficit over the next two years. The higher revenues that emerged this week were principally due to two factors. Calculations on the state’s Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) and lottery funding together were nearly $6 million ahead of expectations. Local revenue, primarily because of higher interest income, was up $7.2 million. Federal revenue, however, was down $6.5 million because of lower expenses eligible for federal funding.
Costs were down because some infrastructure spending was pushed to the 2024-25 budget, as well as savings on insurance and department supply budgets.
The district’s multi-year budget forecasts a $4.6 million deficit in 2024-25 and a $4.4 million deficit in 2025-26 even after tapping its special reserve fund for over $19 million across the two years. By the 2025-26 school year, the district’s cumulative reserves are expected to be barely above the reserve planned for economic uncertainty.
The board voted unanimously to approve unaudited financial statements reflecting the revenue increase. External auditors will soon review the financial statements, according to Associate Superintendent Kim Moses, who’s also WCCUSD’s chief business officer.
Asked about how much this new money might affect any potential program cuts, Moses said, “There is not a conversation or plan at this point to impact any programs.” But she said the next few months will be crucial to determine how much the new revenue could impact any possibility of further downsizing. Moses has said the district has the funds it needs to operate for two years, and that staff are working on solutions to address the structural deficit in the long term.
The board also approved a resolution Wednesday to accept a $36 million award from the California Department of Education through its California Community Schools Partnership Program, to support 26 community schools, such as DeAnza and DeJean. Community schools are defined by the state as being different from traditional schools in that they have policies designed to focus on students’ life needs such as free meals, health care, tutoring or more flexible learning styles. They are required to ensure that underserved communities receive equitable resources.
How to participate in school board meetings
WCCUSD school board meetings typically take place every two weeks on Wednesdays starting at 6:30 p.m. Attend in person at DeJean Middle School, 3,400 Macdonald Ave. or remotely on Zoom. The next one is scheduled for Oct. 9. Check out the school district’s website for more details.
