FEATURE
Staffing shortages
Staffing shortages create added pressure for CSEA members
There are lives behind every statistic, and classified employees are at the center of an ongoing, growing issue in education nationwide. Over three-quarters of school district administrators in the U.S. report experiencing at least moderate staffing shortages this school year, according to a recent nationwide survey by the EdWeek Research Center. Schools are having trouble finding people to fill a variety of classified employee roles, including bus drivers, paraeducators, health technicians, food service workers and more. Curt Eichperger, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources, said his school district currently has 30.5 vacancies for full-time classified employees compared to just four at this time last year. “A main factor contributing to current staffing shortages for school districts, including the Atascadero Unified School District, is that throughout the COVID-19 pandemic employee 'turnover rate' has increased, all while the number of potential job seekers has decreased,” he said. “Quite simply, we are unable to find enough qualified applicants to fill our open positions.“
This issue was staring Chris Macias, custodian of 13 years with Norwalk-La Mirada Chapter 404, in the face when he sat on an interview panel recently to fill seven positions: only three showed up and the rest were no shows.
Norwalk-La Mirada Chapter 404 members Evelyn Magallanes, Lauren Perez and Chris Macias (from left).
“We're going to have that problem more and more because if somebody is getting called for another district with $3 more an hour, they're going to decide to go there."
- Chris Macias, custodian with Norwalk-La Mirada Chapter 404
As a member of the negotiations committee and 1st vice president of his chapter, Macias continually emphasizes to district staff that their classified employees are the lowest paid among surrounding districts. “We're going to have that problem more and more because if somebody is getting called for another district with $3 more an hour, they're going to decide to go there,” he said. But just because they don’t have the staffing, doesn’t mean the responsibilities stop. In fact, they are now being asked to do more with less.
In the case of Macias, he puts up and disinfect two tents every day for COVID-related incidents for students. He also disinfects desks, classrooms, floors, plexiglass, restrooms and canvasses schools, in addition to his other job duties. Macias said there has also been a substantial increase of items to replace and fix because students damaged quite a bit as part of a viral TikTok challenge.
Macias admits sometimes there just isn’t enough time in the day to get everything done. “The minute we turn around and we're finishing the last room, the first room needs to be disinfected again,” he said. The need has been so dire that Macias and fellow custodians recently worked 97 hours of overtime in a month. Others throughout California are also overworked, including Dany Saikaly, a health services technician of 14 years, negotiation committee member and treasurer of Rosemead Chapter 9. She administers COVID tests for upward of 60 students every day on her own, a task that is “time consuming” but that she has grown accustomed to. “I haven’t been able to take a day off since COVID started,” she said. “I’ve been working testing every single day. Thank goodness I didn’t get sick or get COVID.” Misty Torres, nutrition services lead II with Norwalk-La Mirada Chapter 404 and district employee of 23 years, is also feeling the added pressure. Her district is down at least three leads and 20 positions.
“I'm proud of not only this district but other nutrition services employees who worked through the pandemic to make sure that not only the students, but the families had food on their tables.”
- Misty Torres, nutrition services lead II with Norwalk-La Mirada Chapter 404
“Each student is so different and so are their needs...“If we do not have the support that is needed, we can’t provide the one-on-one attention to them that they deserve. It only hurts them.”
- Meredith Chadwick, a moderate/severe instructional aide of seven years and negotiations committee member with Fullerton High Chapter 82
Despite the challenges, classified employees’ dedication remains steady. “We have a lot of people who go above and beyond the daily job duties to make sure that the kids are happy and that their tummies get full,” Torres said. “I'm proud of not only this district but other nutrition services employees who worked through the pandemic to make sure that not only the students, but the families had food on their tables.” Not only have the staff shortages and overabundance of work taken a toll on classified employees, but also the students they serve. “When we are short staffed, sometimes we need to close one of our serving windows,” Torres said. “This impacts about 30 to 40 students who decide not to eat that day.” Other classified employees’ work has a direct toll on student academics. Meredith Chadwick, a moderate/severe instructional aide of seven years and negotiations committee member with Fullerton High Chapter 82, said her district is down roughly 20 instructional aides. Among her many duties, she assists students with using the bathroom, eating, and ambulating them from their wheelchairs in adaptive physical education along with teaching life skills such as doing laundry, making basic meals, washing dishes, and taking the community bus.
“Each student is so different and so are their needs,” she said. “If we do not have the support that is needed, we can’t provide the one-on-one attention to them that they deserve. It only hurts them.” In Atascadero Unified Chapter 124, May Nunes works directly with students every day as a special circumstance instructional assistant II. She is also treasurer of her chapter and a negotiations committee member. Nunes supervises around 600 students, running the entire health room for those who have seizure disorders, need insulin administered to control their diabetes and have other specific health needs. She also oversees what is called “pathways”, which are three requirements students must do to return to school: have a negative COVID test, be isolated for 10 days or receive a doctor’s release. To address the staff shortage issues, many districts are taking different measures. Atascedero Unified recently held a job fair where more than 30 potential employees came to learn about vacancies, speak with district staff and receive applications. District administration has also participated in job fairs hosted by the Chamber of Commerce and local college employment fairs. Even though it doesn’t look like there is an end in sight, Eichperger is among the many who are grateful for the work classified employees do every day. “The classified employees of Atascadero Unified are amazing and are an integral part of our district,” he said. “The contributions of AUSD classified provide students with access to safe and clean facilities, transportation to and from school, as well as additional academic support. Their efforts allow AUSD to shape students for the future through talent and teamwork.”
