Parents and school staff packed the school-board meeting of the Grossmont High School District on Thursday night when the board discussed cancelling dozens of possible layoffs.
Tensions were running high, with many parents and staff voicing their frustration during the meeting. Multiple speakers asked the governing board to rescind the 60-plus layoff notices it sent out last month.
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WATCH HEREAfter several agenda items, some disruptions and public comment, the board finally discussed the possibility of cancelling the layoffs, but the topic only received support from board trustee Chris Fite, sparking strong reactions from the crowd.
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SIGN UP Before the meeting, hundreds of people rallied outside the Grossmont High School Event Center to voice their concerns.
Back in February, the district superintendent made recommendations to the governing board to address their long-term challenges. Those recommendations also included the possible elimination of 49 certified and 12 classified positions.
Jason Balestreri is a teacher-librarian at Mt. Miguel High School. He was among the dozens who received a layoff notice last month. On Thursday, he showed up to the meeting hoping to save his position.
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“I’m really troubled at the trend of our district," Balestreri said. "These cuts do not need to happen. There’s other support staff, not just myself, that are being cut. Their justification just doesn’t hold water. It’s not a money issue. It’s pointed out that the money really is not that bad. It’s not an enrollment issue when they say that."
Collin McGlashen, a spokesperson for the district, said while they completely understand the emotion and passionate advocacy, the board still has to make tough decisions.
“I completely understand the response that we’ve had from the community, both employees and others who have concerns — we’re talking about people’s jobs,” McGlashen said. “The governing board has a responsibility to thoughtfully allocate resources to meet the needs of our students and to do that with the resources that we currently have available to us."
The final decisions will be made May 8, when the board will be decide whether to adopt the recommendations made by the superintendent.
