Manhattan Beach Unified School District Looks At Laying Off Staff

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA — At its Board of Trustees meeting Wednesday night, the Manhattan Beach Unified School District will look at laying off staff and reducing hours for others effective Sept. 10. Board members will also consider reducing the number of hours allotted for MBUSD Superintendent Michael Matthews for the next academic year, a request initiated by the superintendent.

The board will also review the draft of a COVID-19 Mitigation Plan. The plan presents the school district's "Philosophy, Goals, Objectives, and Comprehensive Plans" regarding the coronavirus, distance learning and on-campus learning for the fall. The plan addresses "Health Screening of Students," "Social Distancing," "Personal Protective Equipment and Hygiene Practices," "Sanitization of Facilities and Equipment," "Potential Reclosure of Campus," and "Instruction/Schedules." "The district shall offer a combination of on-campus instruction and distance learning to meet the needs of all students."

Positions potentially facing a reduction of hours or elimination include administrative support at Mira Costa High School, athletic trainer, choral music accompanist, clerical assistant, Extended Day Program teacher, Preschool teacher, Extended Day Program site lead, Preschool site lead, human resources technician, instructional aides for the Extended Day Program and Preschool, grounds supervisor, health services assistant, instructional assistant, instructional assistant in physical education, instructional aide for Science Lab, reprographics technician and theater technician, according to the online agenda.

The agenda also details an item to reduce Dr. Matthews total number of days worked by 12. "In light of the budget challenges facing MBUSD, Dr. Matthews has requested that his contract be amended for the 2020-21 school year by reducing his work year from 224 to 212 days, and reducing his pay accordingly."

The COVID-19 Mitigation Plan plans for a variety of scenarios and may opt to rotate students on a daily or weekly basis. The plan proposes, "If all students cannot attend on-campus instruction for the entire school day due to space limitations as a result of social distancing requirements, the Superintendent or designee shall consider arrangements for rotating groups of students, such as on a daily or weekly basis, and/or shall provide on-campus instruction to students with the greatest need for in-person supervision."

The plan states, "Priority for on-campus instruction shall be given to the lowest performing students, students with disabilities, elementary level students, students at risk of child abuse and neglect, homeless students, foster youth, and English learners." The plan factors in subjects that may be more difficult to teach via distance learning and states, "On-campus instruction may be prioritized for subjects that are difficult to deliver through distance learning, such as laboratory science, art, or career technical education."

The academic year for fall 2020 starts on August 26 for MBUSD. The meeting, which begins at 5 p.m., will be available to the public to attend and participate via YouTube. MBUSD has a channel on YouTube where the meeting will be held live.