PSUSD board approves new special education director, adopts facility-fee resolution and ratifies teachers' agreement
April 14, 2026 | Palm Springs Unified, School Districts, California
This article was created by AI summarizing key points discussed. AI makes mistakes, so for full details and context, please refer to the video of the full meeting. Please report any errors so we can fix them. Report an error »
The Palm Springs Unified School District Board of Education took multiple formal actions on April 14, approving a personnel appointment, adopting statutory-fee and other resolutions, and ratifying a teachers' agreement.
Superintendent-designate (presenter) recommended Dr. Damian Huertas Ruiz for Director of Special Education. Dr. Huertas Ruiz introduced himself and said, "I am honored and humbled to be able to be given this position as a director of special ed for Palm Springs Unified." The board moved and seconded the employment agreement (salary schedule 223, column 10, step 15; effective date to be determined) and the motion passed by voice vote.
During the public-hearing portion of the meeting the board considered and later adopted resolution 2025-2026-31, approving statutory school facilities fees on new residential and commercial/industrial construction pursuant to Education Code Section 17620 and Government Code Section 66016A. Board officials said a written comment had been received and that staff would follow up with commenters as needed. The motion to adopt the resolution passed by voice vote.
Financial oversight matters were presented in the OE-6 monitoring report. Tony Correa, director of fiscal services, told the board the district is in compliance with OE-6: payroll is processed on time, audits for 2023-24 and 2024-25 were clean with no findings, required reports (adopted budget, interim reports, unaudited actuals) were filed on time with positive certifications, and the district met a minimum reserve of 3% on reports. He noted that about 95% of invoices are paid within 45 days, an improvement from roughly 87% the prior year after digitalizing invoice processing.
The board also approved proclamations (National School Nurse Day; Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month), encumbered funds for FY 2026-27, settlement and compromise-and-release agreements, and ratified the successor agreement with the Palm Springs Teachers Association. Most motions passed by recorded "Aye" voice votes.
Where a motion referenced a named mover or seconder the transcript recorded generic motions ("I move the motion," "Second"); votes were recorded by voice and counted as passed. No recorded roll-call tallies with individual named 'Yes'/'No' votes were published in the transcript for these motions.
Superintendent-designate (presenter) recommended Dr. Damian Huertas Ruiz for Director of Special Education. Dr. Huertas Ruiz introduced himself and said, "I am honored and humbled to be able to be given this position as a director of special ed for Palm Springs Unified." The board moved and seconded the employment agreement (salary schedule 223, column 10, step 15; effective date to be determined) and the motion passed by voice vote.
During the public-hearing portion of the meeting the board considered and later adopted resolution 2025-2026-31, approving statutory school facilities fees on new residential and commercial/industrial construction pursuant to Education Code Section 17620 and Government Code Section 66016A. Board officials said a written comment had been received and that staff would follow up with commenters as needed. The motion to adopt the resolution passed by voice vote.
Financial oversight matters were presented in the OE-6 monitoring report. Tony Correa, director of fiscal services, told the board the district is in compliance with OE-6: payroll is processed on time, audits for 2023-24 and 2024-25 were clean with no findings, required reports (adopted budget, interim reports, unaudited actuals) were filed on time with positive certifications, and the district met a minimum reserve of 3% on reports. He noted that about 95% of invoices are paid within 45 days, an improvement from roughly 87% the prior year after digitalizing invoice processing.
The board also approved proclamations (National School Nurse Day; Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month), encumbered funds for FY 2026-27, settlement and compromise-and-release agreements, and ratified the successor agreement with the Palm Springs Teachers Association. Most motions passed by recorded "Aye" voice votes.
Where a motion referenced a named mover or seconder the transcript recorded generic motions ("I move the motion," "Second"); votes were recorded by voice and counted as passed. No recorded roll-call tallies with individual named 'Yes'/'No' votes were published in the transcript for these motions.
Don't Miss a Word: See the Full Meeting!
Go beyond summaries. Unlock every video, transcript, and key insight with a Founder Membership.
✓
Get instant access to full meeting videos
✓
Search and clip any phrase from complete transcripts
✓
Receive AI-powered summaries & custom alerts
✓
Enjoy lifetime, unrestricted access to government data
30-day money-back guarantee
