Holiday Hill EBD teachers, union urge district to restore a classroom and teacher as enrollment surges

Holiday Hill Elementary teachers and a union representative asked the Duval County School Board on Jan. 7 to reallocate staffing to a specialized EBD (emotional/behavioral disorders) PRIDE unit that teachers said has grown rapidly and now exceeds the staffing the program was designed to handle.

Why it matters: teachers who work with students in the most restrictive ESE settings told the board that high caseloads and mixed-grade classrooms are reducing the program’s ability to provide the small-class structure and individualized support those students require. Classroom teachers documented increased injuries and work‑compensation claims tied to the heavier caseload, and they urged the board and district staff to restore the teacher position removed last year.

What speakers said

- Wanda Bonner, who said she works at Holiday Hill’s PRIDE program, told the board, “How much do you value us? ... Come in work clothes like us and see what we have to put up with,” and described classes with “16 behavior kids” where staff are injured and exhausted.

- Michelle Gersten, identified on the record as a psych coach at Holiday Hill Elementary, said the program began this school year with about 44 students and six teachers, but has grown to about 60 students by winter break. “This is usually where we end the year, but here we are only halfway through,” she said, and urged the board to restore a teacher position to reduce class sizes that now include multiple grade levels and up to 15 students in one class.

- Lauren Skipper, who said she has taught in the PRIDE program eight years, said the program “works when it’s run in the manner in which it was created to be run. Small.” She described students whose behaviors are often aggressive and volatile and said adding them to other classrooms “is like throwing three classes together and expecting the same results.”

- Amanda Hutto, who said she has 24 years in the district and 14 years in the PRIDE program, told the board the district removed a previously allocated teacher position in 2023–24 despite predictable year-end growth. She said the program started the current school year with six classrooms and 44 students and that enrollment increased to 60 before winter break with further placements expected. Hutto said principal Peterson has “been in frequent contact with the department of low incidents” asking for an additional teacher but that the district denied the request.

- Tammy Brooks Evans, speaking for a designated employee organization (the union), said the union has surveyed more than 800 teachers and will press bargaining priorities into the formal process. She urged board members to visit Holiday Hill “in work clothes” to see the unit’s needs and described meetings with district staff and principals seeking staffing remedies.

Clarifying details provided on the record

- Multiple speakers said the PRIDE program’s enrollment historically begins in the low 40s and grows into the 60s by year end; they said this year the program has 60 students midyear, with six classrooms in operation and an earlier removal of a teacher position that teachers say should be restored.

- Teachers reported that some first-year teachers now supervise classes that combine multiple grade levels (pre-K through 1st grade examples were given) and that caseload growth has produced injuries to staff, higher restraint and suspension numbers, and near‑daily safety incidents.

Board and staff response in the meeting record

Board members did not take an on-the-record vote this evening on Holiday Hill staffing; however, speakers said school leadership (principal Peterson) has advocated for restoration of the position to the district and that Human Resources and ESE leadership had been contacted. Tammy Brooks Evans reported ongoing union conversations with district leadership and noted work with JPEF on ESE teacher recruitment and retention initiatives.

What the record does not show

No formal board directive, motion or commitment of funding appears on the Jan. 7 record to restore the position immediately; board members and the superintendent acknowledged the concern and asked staff to continue reviewing options and to report back in committee or in follow-up briefing.

Ending

Holiday Hill staff concluded by asking the board to visit the school in regular work clothes, and to prioritize the restoration of a teacher allocation for the PRIDE unit so staff can return to the small-class model they say the program requires.