Although Sea View Elementary School in Salton City was hit hardest by teacher layoffs earlier this year due to expiring pandemic relief grants , all vacancies were filled as of last week.
Coachella Valley Unified School District offered temporary teaching contracts for the 2024-25 school year to teachers on the reduction in force list. Last week, the district issued contracts to 13 teachers at Sea View Elementary. (State education code specifies that these teachers must be given priority for recall to their former positions when they become available.)
Superintendent Frances Esparza said there's less than 10 teacher vacancies throughout the district. "We're working on it every day," she said, adding that CVUSD has less teacher vacancies compared to last school year .
Those remaining vacancies, Esparza added, are expected to be filled by the first day of school on Aug. 22.
A few combination classes — where students from two grade levels are taught together by the same teacher — have been created due to decreased enrollment in certain grades. For example, one class might include 12 fourth graders and 10 fifth graders to meet capacity.
This school year, Sea View Elementary will be staffed by 24 teachers and is expected to enroll 631 students.
The elementary school will also welcome a new principal . Aven Magana, who most recently served as an assistant principal at Desert Mirage High School in Thermal, will assume the role.
Last school year, West Shores High, short an English teacher, had to turn to a virtual pilot program to meet that need . This year, Esparza said, the English department is fully staffed.
"Then we're going to sit and listen and try to answer as many questions as we can to ensure that they know that we are planning ... to uplift the community and to do more," Esparza said. "As the new superintendent, I really do want to provide more services in the area and not just educational services ... but with infrastructure and working with those in government in that area to be able to help and support that community."
West Shores High is about 25 miles from Desert Mirage High School, its closest high school neighbor in the district. Opened in 1980, the site serves roughly 520 students in grades seven to 12. Compare that to Desert Mirage High in Thermal, which serves a little over 2,000, according to state data . Coachella Valley High School serves over 2,600 students.
West Shores High is also working on plans to open its doors as a community school , supported by funding from the California Community Schools Partnership Program . In California, community schools support low-income neighborhoods by offering essential academic, health and social services, as well as fostering community engagement. These efforts aim to boost children's achievement and well-being by addressing both their needs and those of their families. Since 2021, the state has invested $4 billion to support community schools through this grant until the 2027-28 school year.
CVUSD is in the process of finalizing a job description for a director of community schools. This position will oversee the implementation of the community schools model, which the district expects to present to the board of education for approval at its first meeting of the 2024-25 school year Thursday. A few board members had previously recommended revisions to the job description, addressing concerns about the title and the required education level for the salary offered. The position is now open to both classified and certificated staff to attract a broader pool of qualified applicants.
The next board meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 22 at the district's boardroom at 87-225 Church St. in Thermal. CVUSD also livestreams its board meeting on Zoom at this link: cvusd-us.zoom.us/j/84773737777
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Jennifer Cortez covers education in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at jennifer.cortez@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Coachella Valley Unified fills teacher vacancies at Sea View Elementary in Salton City
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