The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) Board of Education approved of a shift in the district’s physical education staffing at a special Feb. 27 meeting, reducing the number of physical activities specialists to stay compliant with federal program monitoring requirements.
Board members passed a resolution by a 5-2 vote in a reduction of particular kinds of classified services, in this case being the reduction of physical activities specialists by 6.75 full-time equivalent positions, equal to nine employees. The other part of the resolution, the elimination of the Media Services Coordinator position held by Bill Wishart, was initially separated into its own action and postponed for discussion until Thursday’s regularly-scheduled board meeting, but district staff said Tuesday that the board is not moving forward with the item. Board members Maria Leon-Vasquez and Alicia Mignano were the dissenting votes on the physical activities specialists resolution.
District Deputy Superintendent Dr. Mark Kelly explained why the resolution came before the board, stating that during the district’s last comprehensive review of its federal programs in which the district receives title funding, the district was notified that it was out of compliance in the elementary school physical education (PE) program, as the program is not being run by certificated teachers in that area.
The federal program monitoring report from the California Department of Education for 2023-24, dated September 29, 2023, stated that following a review of staff teaching credentials at McKinley Elementary School, staff interviews and PE class observations, "it was evident that the individuals providing ‘PE instruction’ did not possess any teaching credentials or training specific to PE or developmentally appropriate activities for elementary students."
To remedy the noncompliance, the district would have to either hire single-subject credentialed PE teachers, or to have elementary teachers authorized to teach PE to their own students, with district staff recommending the former option. Recognizing that the specialists have been running PE programs for several years, Kelly noted that this was a "difficult" decision.
"I acknowledge and thank our [physical activity specialists] for their commitment," Kelly said. "We need to get our programs into compliance, this was a direction from the state, they continue to monitor us."
For the 2024-25 school year, the district is looking to fill five elementary PE openings, as well as retain seven of the physical activities specialists to support implementation, with the hiring plan still being worked on. District staff stated that this will impact all elementary school sites in some fashion. Kelly noted that the district does not anticipate reducing the amount of PE time at the elementary level, as that time coincides with approximately 125 minutes per school week of teacher preparation time within the classroom.
Thursday’s board meeting agenda includes a notice of recommendation not to reemploy the classified employees for the 2024-25 school year, a communication step required by the classified layoff procedures. However, district staff told the Daily Press that each individual employee has met or will meet with the district’s personnel commission to discuss other future opportunities. Kelly made mention of a Paraeducator-3 position as a potential role, since that position is in the same pay range as a physical activities specialist.
Board member Jon Kean stated that he values the employees, and asked Kelly about the path of a specialist to either become single-subject PE credentialed or to follow another path in the district. Kelly responded by saying the district isn’t authorized to issue credentials, and that a specialist would have to join a credentialing program through the Los Angeles County Office of Education or a class at a local college. A credential can be obtained through having a Bachelor’s Degree plus a fifth year of study in a credentialing program, and Kelly added that they can provide impacted employees with options and contacts about how to plan the credentialing process.
During public comment, Edison Language Academy physical activities specialist Fabian Leon Reyes said he was "surprised" by the resolution, and questioned the lack of communication with local stakeholders about the reduction.
"I have no idea what type of program we’ll be running if [the board decides] to follow through with laying [us] off, but I have worked at [Los Angeles Unified School District] where they have no coaches … if you guys are so worried about the type of program we’re running here as physical activities specialists, why are you laying us off?," Reyes said.
Several Edison Parent-Teacher Association members echoed support of the specialists, including President Kimberly Barholomew, who said PE positions are not "plug and play" and that PE itself is needed for social-emotional learning benefits. Edison PTA Financial Secretary Heidi Vega Aimonetti also lent her support, saying that having bilingual coaches was important to the PE program.
Much of the public comment was also in support of Wishart and his contributions in the district, including his role leading Samohi student group Running with Speakers, which handles technology duties for school events. Several of the Running with Speakers club members said that Wishart was an inspiration due to both his technical advice and creating a safe, inclusive environment. Wishart himself took to the podium during public comment, stating he was moved by the support and that his position is valuable to SMMUSD in regards to increasing demand for online event streaming.
"[Running With Speakers] saves the district thousands of dollars due to the hard work of these Samohi students … it’s been my privilege to work and teach these amazing young people … I won’t be with the district forever, no one is, however I would like the chance to facilitate a transition for the students in my care so that they can continue to have the opportunity to have actual work-based experience in a supportive and fun environment," Wishart said, with the group on hand erupting into applause after his remarks.
Thursday’s board meeting will also discuss an approval of an employment agreement between the district and the Assistant Superintendent for Educational Services, officially moving district Director of Assessment Dr. Stacy Williamson into the position. The board will also read several resolutions, including recognizing March as Women’s History Month, National Middle Level Education Month and Arts and Music in Our Schools Month.
