Protestors oppose PUHSD cuts to mental health staff

Opponents of the cuts to mental health staff included teachers, parents and students. (Staff photo)

 
By Doug Spoon, Editor

A crowd of more than 50 people attended Tuesday night’s Perris Union High School District board meeting to protest the elimination of positions they say will be detrimental to students’ mental health.

The impassioned pleas of 15 public speakers failed to sway the board members, who voted 4-1 to eliminate the position of the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) as well as implement layoffs of five counselors at schools in the district as well as support personnel. A budget deficit, including the loss of one-time COVID-19 funding, was cited as reasons for the action.

Under the direction of Dr. Casaundra McNair, the district’s efforts in Equity Education includes mental health counseling, with Wellness Centers at local high schools. According to the PUHSD website, “Educational equity is established on the principles of fairness and inclusion. Fairness suggests that the individual characteristics or social conditions of a student should never interfere with a student’s educational potential. Inclusion establishes the basic standard of “education for all.”

A news release from the office of State Assembly member Corey Jackson this week criticized the move by several school districts to address budget deficits by cutting DEI resources, saying “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs have proven value added to school districts and communities. These programs consistently bring out the best in individuals and communities, providing crucial support to ensure everyone is seen and valued. Contrary to divisive narratives, DEI programs play a vital role in fostering success for all students, regardless of their background or circumstances.”

A total of 28 positions are being eliminated, including five counselors who were assigned to the Wellness Centers. In addition, five assistant principals added during the DEI mission will be laid off, as well as several social workers.

Reines said that under the current plan, the Wellness Centers will be closed. Students in need of mental health counseling will be reassigned to regular counselors at the schools.

Helen Stimach, secretary to McNair, was upset that speakers’ time was reduced from three minutes to 1:30. Board chairman Edward Garcia said this was because of the number of speakers who requested time.

“It was more timekeeping than anything else,” Stimach said. “They weren’t listening anyway. With all the work Dr. McNair has done for the district … I feel like everything was done in a back room.”

Other speakers at Tuesday’s meeting said that the layoff of McNair, support staff members and counselors will deny students necessary resources and will put an unfair burden on teachers to play counselor as well as teacher.

“These personnel make my work possible,” said Noelle Cammon, a teacher at Heritage High School. “Without them, my work becomes less efficient and precise.”

Charlita Dodson, another teacher at Heritage High, expressed similar sentiments.

“This is going to affect the mental health of teachers as well,” she said. “You [board members] say you’re listening, but I don’t think you’re listening.”

Rocco Melms, a student at Perris High School, presented the board with a petition containing 199 signatures of students and teachers who oppose the cuts.

“I’m an advocate for mental health and I’m here to speak upon what we can do to save our district with funding,” Melms told Menifee 24/7 before the meeting. “I’ve reached out to a bunch of grant programs because as we’ve seen time and time again, a lot of our board members are incapable of reaching out and doing their jobs. So I’m doing it on behalf of my school.

“As a student who struggles with mental health, I’m doing what I can to make an effort. The center is what we need the most. About 66 percent of students in America have been struggling with suicidal thoughts since coming back from COVID. We need these centers all across the district more than ever.”

Later, during public comments, Melms told board members, “I have a friend who told me they can’t make it another day. It only takes one student to end their life to have the district sued. There must be alternative budget solutions.”

The meeting opened with an overview of the district’s budget problems. A presentation was made by Riverside County Chief Business Official Scott Price, whose office must approve the PUHSD budget for 2024-25. According to Price, PUHSD is one of many districts that “got used to deficit spending because there was a lot of one-time [COVID] funding. Tonight’s actions would reduce district expenditures and get them closer to the [revenue] line.”

According to Price, PUHSD is in danger of falling below the state-required minimum 3 percent reserve fund balance. If the district’s budget numbers continue, he said, PUHSD would be insolvent by 2026-27.

“We’re here to help if we can, and we want you to know you’re not alone,” Price told board members. “It’s because the timing of your salary negotiations just happened at the time of a perfect storm."

Price said district officials across the state at the time of salary negotiations were encouraged by a report that they would receive a cost of living adjustment of 4 percent funding for the coming year. That number has decreased to less than 1 percent, he said – too late for districts to adjust to salaries already negotiated.

The one board member who voted against the layoffs was Elizabeth Vallejo, who said more should’ve been done to explore alternative budget cuts. At one point, she was cut short by Garcia, who told her to stop attacking him and other board members.

“I feel like we didn’t exhaust all our options,” said Vallejo. “We’re in so much trouble. The next steps should be to find the best solutions. We’ve been warned about the dangers of shutting down these wellness centers. We should be cutting out other items.”

Board member Steve Campos said he believed the board had no choice in the matter.

“None of us want to take away any services,” he said. “It’s unfortunate we can’t solve these problems on March 5 and move forward. I’ve talked to many counselors and I have an understanding of the problem. We will keep working on this.”