CVUSD Teachers, Parents On Edge

Morale is down in the Coachella Valley Unified School District.

This month, 141 teachers have received pink slips because of budget problems, and the Board of Education still hasn’t explained why the superintendent and assistant superintendent were placed on administrative leave.

On Thursday, parents and teachers staged a rally in front of the district office and demanded answers.

The school district is looking at a potential $18 million deficit over the next three years, and ultimately the students are paying the price.

The crowd built slowly — going from just a handful of people to several dozen.

There were no signs, poster boards or megaphones calling out administrators.

The conversation was civil, but filled with frustration.

“I got my first pink slip on March 15 and then I got my second one on May 15,” said Cindy Bradley, a single mother and first grade teacher at Peter Pendleton Elementary-

She’ll be out of a job effective June 30, and she’s not alone.

“There’s administrators that have been cut, and then now they’re replacing them with other administrators, and we haven’t heard a reason why those administrators were being cut,” said Bradley

She’s talking about Superintendent Ricardo Medina and Assistant Superintendent Rick Alvarez.

In January, both were placed on paid administrative leave, pending an investigation.

But the district has not explained any details of the investigation.

In March, the board voted to allow Alvarez to return to the district at some point, but not as an administrator.

Last week, the board voted to terminate Medina.

“I would like to know the reason because when they released Mr. Medina, the last board meeting with cause,” said Mila Perezchica, a parent. “I’d like them to explain what the cause is.”

“There just seems to be a lot of commotion going on here and yet very little information coming out,” said Sam Torres, a parent and Indio council member.

Interim Superintendent Dr. Darryl Adams met with those who showed up at the rally inside the district office.

The question and answer session lasted about a half hour, but not much was learned.

“We are (restructuring) our administrative office — our central office,” said Adams. “That’s part of some of the changes. Other changes are personnel matters that I cannot discuss.”