Residents pleaded with Hayward Unified School District officials to address traffic and safety concerns near Harder Elementary, while trustees wrestled with questions of leadership accountability and stability and the district’s use of voter-approved arts funding during the July 29 school board meeting.

Residents Seek Help From HUSD

During public comment, five residents of the Cody Road cul-de-sac neighborhood behind Harder Elementary School asked the district to address longstanding traffic and safety concerns. The neighborhood has a single entrance, which residents said can leave them effectively trapped in or out during school pickup and drop-off. Residents also described being cursed at and threatened when confronting parents and teachers about traffic concerns, with some reporting property damage they believe was retaliatory. “Every time I asked them [parents and teachers] to slow down, they have cursed at me. They have said that they’re going to come and shoot me. My vehicle was vandalized. I had reported this to the school district and police department,” said Alvia.

Residents said they have raised concerns with the Hayward Police Department, the city, and school district but have yet to see meaningful change. “We recently sent a petition around our neighborhood which 70% of the neighborhood signed calling action for the school and the police department and us to work together,” said Roy Coleman. Neighbors said the problem has worsened since Harder Elementary was rebuilt. “In 15 years I’ve been there, this is the worst time when they rebuilt the school,” said Alen Baji.

At the end of public comment, Board President Peter Bufete asked Superintendent Chien Wu-Fernandez to respond to residents’ safety concerns. “We are committed, our job is to keep our kids safe. And I want to make sure our community feels safe as well,” Wu-Fernandez said. She said she would contact the city about collaborating with residents on a solution. Trustee Bufete then encouraged residents to leave their contact details with HUSD staff so the district could continue communicating with them about the issue.

Superintendent’s Contract Is Debated

Trustee Sara Prada pulled consent items related to extending the contracts of Superintendent Wu-Fernandez and Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Kimberly Watts, questioning the timing amid the district’s ongoing financial challenges. She also called for greater accountability from district leadership as investments through the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) are realized. “I think with our current budget issues, we shouldn’t be extending their contracts. I’m just asking the board to consider either tabling these and having a bigger discussion or making them two-year contracts and considering the accountability conversation,” Prada said.

Trustee Austin Bruckner-Carrillo apologized to Wu-Fernandez and Watts for having their contracts discussed publicly before thanking them for their work in the district. He pointed to recommendations from the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT) emphasizing the importance of maintaining stable district leadership, particularly the superintendent. “I will be supporting the two items before us. That doesn’t mean that there are not concerns,” Trustee Bruckner Carrillo said. Trustee Dr. April Eljeiroudi also praised Wu-Fernandez and Watts, saying, “You all are very talented and you can go get jobs wherever you want making a lot more money and I’m grateful that you’ve chosen to be here in HUSD. That you continue to steer this ship even though we’ve been through some tough waters.”

Trustee Prada clarified that she was not seeking to push administrators out of the district, but wanted stronger guardrails around contracts and greater accountability from district leadership. “As it is now, our fiscal instability, the impact and harm to our students with the decisions that had to be made because of fiscal irresponsibility. I don’t think it's a bad idea to consider shortening contracts and asking for accountability and transparency.” Trustee Bufete defended Wu-Fernandez and Watts’ performance, pointing to increased attendance, decreases in chronic absenteeism and suspensions, and other district metrics. Trustee Prada countered that much of the data Trustee Bufete cited reflected the district’s performance before staff layoffs and other budget reductions took effect. Ultimately, trustees approved both contract extensions, with Prada casting the only opposing vote.

Prop 28 Expenditures Face Scrutiny

Board Vice President Ken Rawdon pulled the 2025-2026 Proposition 28 Arts & Music in Schools Funding Annual Report from the consent calendar, questioning how HUSD has used the funding. Prop 28 provides funding for arts and music education, including HUSD’s Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) programs. As part of the district’s fiscal solvency plan approved in February, Prop 28 funding supported 22.71 full-time equivalent positions in VAPA programs during the 2025-2026 fiscal year. Trustee Rawdon said those positions otherwise would have been eliminated as the district made budget cuts, questioning whether using Prop 28 funds this way fulfills the measure’s intent to expand arts education rather than replace existing district spending. “I pulled this because in my time on the board, Proposition 28 and the way that we have executed the use of the funds has probably been, for me, the low point of my time on the board,” Trustee Rawdon said. “The idea behind Prop 28 is that you enhance, not just supplant. It was to bring new courses of study for our students, new things.”

Trustee Rawdon pointed to a pending lawsuit against Los Angeles Unified School District alleging the district improperly used $76.7 million in Prop 28 funding and warned that its outcome could have implications for HUSD and other California school districts. “I won’t be on the board anymore by the time this lawsuit plays out. But I can tell you I’ll be at the microphone delivering one big ‘I told you so’ message if such a thing should happen,” Trustee Rawdon said. He acknowledged that he ultimately supported the difficult decision to use Prop 28 funding to preserve those 22.71 FTE positions.

Superintendent Wu-Fernandez acknowledged that the lawsuit against LAUSD challenges the interpretation of Prop 28 requirements and could have repercussions for districts across California. She also noted that the item before trustees was the district’s required annual expenditure report. “I do hear you and I believe that it was a hard day for all of us that night in terms of losing some important things and services for our students and people that our kids benefit from,” Wu-Fernandez said of the district’s earlier budget decisions.

Trustees then requested more detailed information about the positions, salaries, materials and supplies supported by the funding, how money is distributed across school sites, and VAPA staffing and funding levels before Prop 28. They also sought greater involvement from the board, teachers, and labor partners in determining future VAPA expenditures. Wu-Fernandez clarified that the district is still determining its available carryover funding and distinguishing between essential VAPA expenses and broader restoration or enhancement requests. 

Trustee Prada then emphasized the need for more detailed reporting to help trustees verify the district’s compliance with Prop 28. “I think my main point with asking for those three allocation years, the base year, is that we want to make sure that the district is in compliance,” Trustee Prada said. Wu-Fernandez noted that the expenditure report followed a required state template. She also said that HUSD has passed a Prop 28 audit and also believes district spending complies with current guidance. She agreed to work with Business Services to provide the board with a more detailed report.

Despite the concerns raised during deliberation, the Prop 28 Arts & Music in Schools Funding Annual Report for 2025-2026 was approved unanimously.