DURING AN ANTIOCH UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT Board of Trustees meeting in mid-February, about 200 parents — many with their children — stood outside in the rain, as their requests for a bigger room were ignored.
Tensions ran high as the disgruntled group voiced claims of being denied access to the proceedings — a violation of the Brown Act. The Feb. 18 meeting, which focused on special education budget cuts, among other items, ended with the district moving forward in authorizing roughly 300 layoffs.
At a meeting on March 11, one resident who calls herself “Ms. Cookie” reiterated why the earlier crowd was angry. She said a letter was sent to the district to secure a larger venue for the meeting and claimed that an attorney responded that the board meeting would not change venues.
“We thought you were paying an attorney to write a response? Why couldn’t the president or the superintendent?” Ms. Cookie asked during public comment. “What are you guys trying to do? Are you trying to mislead us?”
Now in April, the anger and frustration from parents continues.
Many people have not only been upset with the school board about not making sure meeting spaces accommodate large crowds. They also are not happy with board members showing up 45 minutes late to the March meeting, while parents and educators showed up to discuss how special education cuts would impact their communities. A $32 million district deficit has not helped matters.
Daniella Watson, who is a parent of a school-age son with special needs, explained how cuts to paraeducators, direct support, and special education staff impact how children regulate, communicate, transition safely, stay in class, and make meaningful progress on their IEP (Individualized Education Program) goals.
“The solution cannot be balancing the budget on the backs of our most vulnerable students,” said Watson, as the audience responded with applause.
Mental health services at risk of shutting down
Another speaker explained that even when requirements for FAPE (free appropriate public education) can be met on paper, special education placement evaluations require high consideration in matching teachers with students.
“When we are looking at these cuts, destabilizing environments affect all the children,” the speaker said. “It causes more struggles.”
With recent budget cuts threatening support for many in special education, paraeducators and mental health wellness rooms also are at risk, said Blake Hanson, a wellness center paraprofessional at Deer Valley High School.
The wellness rooms are district-managed spaces for students to regulate their emotions and decompress. Alongside the emotional support provided, the paraeducators help teachers handle students’ behaviors so that they can focus on teaching. Hanson said these cuts could take away time from class instruction, as teachers would be left to handle behaviors themselves.
“I’ve seen almost 900 students this year. Every single time they leave in a better mood,” Hanson said. “They leave happier. They’re able to get help. And it really does change the emotions on this campus.
“It’s scary to see how these students are going to regulate and get support in the future if we do end up losing the wellness rooms,” he added.
Evelyn Martinez, a mother and community member, urged the district to provide more transparency and inclusion of the community on how the budget deficit occurred, and not to let special education kids pay the price for administrative decisions. During her time to speak, she cited a familiar quotation: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
She followed the quote, urging community members who are looking for transparency and accountability from AUSD to contact the Contra Costa County Civil Grand Jury and ask for a review of how the district funds are being managed.
AUSD Superintendent Darnise R. Williams did not respond to a request from CCSpin for comment on the budget cuts and their impact.
Fewer teachers could lead to crowding
Josiah Bates, a student at Deer Valley High School, said fewer teachers would result in more students being bunched together in classes, lowering the focus each student receives.
“I think it’ll impact me in my school because I usually don’t like being too close to people,” Bates said. “So, since there’s probably going to be a bunch of kids in this class, I feel like I really won’t be able to focus at all on doing my work.”
The concerns spanned all grades. Yassania Raverez, a parent of a kindergartner at Fremont Elementary School, said that when her daughter started kindergarten, she was dropped off at the wrong school assignment when the school forgot to put her on the roster. She stated these situations would increase if there were a lack of staff in children’s classrooms.
“Don’t take these services away from them. They are our children, our future. They need us. They need our educators.”
Yassania Raverez, Fremont Elementary parent
“By taking this away, my daughter, her classmates, children of this district, and future children who are just starting their education career are at risk,” Raverez said.
“Don’t take these services away from them,” she added. “They are our children, our future. They need us. They need our educators.
“Don’t be on the wrong side of Antioch’s history.”
The school board will hold an online budget webinar from 6-7 p.m. on May 11. More information about the district’s 2026-27 fiscal year budget is available on the AUSD website.
Emma Mayta Canales is a 12th grader at Deer Valley High School in Antioch and a CCYJ correspondent. This story originally appeared in CCSpin.