Piedmont Pulse

February 12, 2024

Dear PUSD Families:

In this week’s edition of the Piedmont Pulse, I will be sharing information about the following topics:

1. Thinking About Our Certificated Staff

2. Budget Update

3. Why A Retirement Incentive

4. Open Enrollment
   

In partnership,

Jennifer Hawn, Ed.D.

Superintendent

I am very thoughtful about our certificated staff at this time in our district, especially those who may be impacted by our budget adjustments. This process is profoundly difficult for our certificated staff, both those who may receive a lay off notice and even those who do not. The emotional impact is felt on all of our staff.

During my first two years as a teacher, I was hired for a temporary position at a K-8 school as a transition teacher between elementary and middle school. I had one foot in elementary and one foot in middle school, and it was a unique position that I loved. However, it was not a permanent position, and I received a release notice for my first two years of teaching. As much as my Principal reassured me that I would likely have a position for the next school year, it was an emotional roller coaster ride for two years. When a position at the high school became available, I thought I had left the roller coaster ride behind; however, budget cuts resulted in layoffs in my district for several more years, and I was once again on the list for a possible layoff. I have never forgotten the emotional impact of unstable budgets during my early years as a teacher, and I feel deeply for those who are impacted by this process.

You may know that we made budget reductions last year, and we are attempting to make full reductions this year so that we do not have to put staff through this process in the years ahead. We hope to finalize these changes this month for both certificated and classified staff at the February 28th Board meeting.

I want to thank those of you who have written to me and the Board over the last several days regarding the proposed reductions to our certificated staff. If you have been following our budget study sessions in January, you know that we must reduce our ongoing expenditures by a minimum of $2.3M. These reductions will adjust our budget in order to rightsize our staffing levels according to our declining enrollment and make room in our budget for compensation increases for staff, including the 9% compensation increase over 3 years proposed to our labor partners. More than a few questions have emerged to ask why the 2/14 Board agenda only shows certificated reductions. The answer is related to the APT union contract, which requires a two-step process, including a public hearing on the 2/14 Board agenda and the approval of reductions on the 2/28. At the 2/28 Board meeting, you will also see a list of classified reductions.

This work is difficult and necessary, as it requires analysis of our enrollment, staffing and programs at a granular level to protect our programs and balance our budget. Our administrative team have worked diligently on making recommendations that protect our high-quality programs by considering new ways of delivery. We are in the process of a significant organizational shift that will challenge all of us to reimagine how we operate, including the programs we offer. We may not be able to offer every program in exactly the same way in the years ahead. It may be tempting to see change as a negative, and indeed, I have heard some express concern about these reductions as resulting in less. This is a natural reaction to change; however, it is not as binary as one might think. That is, it’s not always a “more versus less” question when considering programs. Rather, we can provide instruction in different ways. This moment in our district has more to do with change than a “more versus less” vision of district priorities.

These changes are personal and emotional, making this process extremely difficult, as most of our budget is made up of staff. As we rightsize our staffing, balance our budget, and reimagine our priorities, we invite our community to participate in engagement opportunities such as our LCAP meetings. We invite you to be part of the change.

We have received a few questions about the district’s offer to senior staff about the proposed retirement incentive, and so I will share the background on this idea with you, and our belief that this offer is a “win-win” for staff and the district.

Retirement incentives are common practice in districts, particularly districts with a high percentage of staff who are close to retirement and on the top tier of the pay scale. From a budget perspective, incentivizing a few additional retirements (we are incentivizing 10 retirements) can save the district based on the difference between a retiring teacher who is on the top tier of the pay scale and an incoming teacher who is on the lower end of the pay scale. For staff who are close to retirement, an incentive honors these staff members for their many years of service to our students.

In partnership with PEF, the incentive comes out of next year’s budget, and so there is no impact to this year’s budget. Overall, we see this as a “win-win” for the district and for our staff.

PUSD Enrollment for 2024-25 School Year Opened January 9th

The Piedmont Unified School District (PUSD) opened enrollment for the 2024-25 school year on January 9. Enrollment for TK-12 is for current PUSD resident families with new children entering the district, and/or for new Piedmont resident families enrolling their child for the first time. Families are required to upload proof of residency, birth certificate or passport, immunization records and TB risk assessment. Visit the District’s Enrollment section for more information. Links to enroll for the 2024-25 school year are active on the apply page as of January 9, and we encourage families to enroll right away.

Families with children turning five years of age between September 2, 2024 and June 2, 2025, are eligible for the District’s TK program for the 2024-25 school year. Visit the District website for more information about the TK program.

Visit the California Department of Education’s website for more information about Kindergarten in California. After reviewing the Enrollment section, if you have questions, please contact one of the school offices:

Beach: Sarah Schaaf - 510-594-2666, sschaaf@piedmont.k12.ca.us

Havens: Melanie Reed - 510-594-2680, mreed@piedmont.k12.ca.us

Wildwood: Christine Petersen/Jennifer Davidhazy - 510-594-2780, wildwoodoffice@piedmont.k12.ca.us

PMS: Caryn Palliser - 510-594-2669, cpalliser@piedmont.k12.ca.us

PHS: Darlene Low - 510-594-2646, dlow@piedmont.k12.ca.us

Families seeking information about inter-district transfers should check the Non-Resident Transfers page.

Black History Month - The California Department of Education and Piedmont Unified School District celebrate Black History Month annually in February. We celebrate our Black students, staff, and families this month and ALWAYS!

Presidents' Day/Week - Campuses will be closed February 19th - 23rd.

Piedmont Pulse Updates - Please note that I will be sending out Piedmont Pulse newsletter every other week. Archived Piedmont Pulse Newsletters are linked HERE

PEF - The Giving Campaign - The Giving Campaign officially ended in December; however, you can still give. We are grateful to our community for their support of our outstanding teachers and programs. If you are able to give, go HERE.

Piedmont Portal - For all of the latest school and community events, please visit the Piedmont Portal linked HERE

Donate for Absences - Parents, please remember that if your child needs to be out of school, you can submit payment HERE for the lost revenue. Each day that a student is out of school (for any reason, including illness) means a loss of revenue in the following amounts per day: TK-3rd Grade = $61.32; 4th-6th Grade = $56.39; 7th-8th Grade = $58.06; 9th-12th Grade = $61.20. This is invitational, of course.

Witter Field Renovation Project Updates - For updates on the Witter Field Renovation Project, please go to our Facilities page on our PUSD website.

Community Pool Construction Update - Safety measures around the Community Pool Project construction site on Magnolia Ave. across from PHS/MHS are currently in effect. Visit the City of Piedmont's website for details.

Work for PUSD - PUSD is seeking candidates for a variety of positions. Visit the District's Edjoin page for a complete list of jobs available and to apply online.

Substitutes Needed - Support students while earning up to $200/day. PUSD seeking substitute teachers for the 2023-24 school year. Visit the District's EdJoin page for more information and to apply.

Follow PUSD - Please read our school newsletters sent out weekly for update to date information. The District Facebook (@piedmontunified), Twitter (@piedmontunified), Instagram (@piedmontusd) and Threads (@piedmontusd@threads) pages are active.

Email: communication@piedmont.k12.ca.us
Website: www.piedmont.k12.ca.us
Location: 760 Magnolia Avenue, Piedmont, CA, USA
Phone: 510-594-2600