22 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JULY 24-30, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com person is currently developing a manual; they are in progress of implementing new software for bidding; custodial work has moved to MCOE’s general services department; an updated overtime authorization form has been developed to accurately track hours worked; an audit of payroll records was completed; a new policy prohibits the ELP director from authorizing placement in the program of their own relatives; managers have been retrained on conflict-of-interest policies; and more. “We want to have super strong systems of checks and balances,” Guss says. “Even though humans do human behavior, we have enough internal controls in place that folks cannot work around the system. “I think most people understand when you run a large organization some things will happen. When you don’t follow policies and you don’t follow the rules, we are going to find it and deal with it. We are not going to turn a blind eye to anything.” One of White’s recommendations is to audit the past three fiscal years. MCOE already does annual audits and going forward, they’ve hired White’s firm to conduct those audits. ••••• On Tuesday, June 17, the last meeting of the Early Learning Program Policy Council for the 2024-25 school year convenes at 5:38pm after parents and MCOE staff have time to mingle and to grab dinner from a spread of taquitos with heaping sides of rice, beans and guacamole. Almost right away, as Assistant Superintendent Vela hands over the microphone to Maria Zarate, a Head Start parent and council member to run the meeting, he says, “Vamos a continuar en español.” We are going to continue in Spanish. Although she is no longer on the Policy Council, Carmona still attends meetings, listening through a headset for English interpretation. When she was selected as chair, she says that was a priority: “Eighty-five percent of those parents could not speak English,” she says. “I felt like I had to represent them the best I could. I made sure all of our meetings were in Spanish, because usually it’s the other way around.” Like Head Start, there is cultural sensitivity around this advisory body, from the language of the meetings to the dinner menu. (One feature of ELP is that parents do not need to send their children with food—breakfast, lunch and snacks are provided. The August menu includes bean and cheese burritos, carne asada tacos as well as chicken alfredo pasta.) The only controversial topic of the evening is a request by parents for promotion ceremonies; many are disappointed that parents and grandparents are not invited to end-of-year celebrations. “It is a big deal, they want to feel special,” parent Virginia Batrez said. The limitation, Vela says, is licensing requirements: They don’t want to end up over capacity. “In the last two weeks alone, we’ve had three licensing visits. They’re random, they’re unannounced, and we don’t want to run the risk that on that day we allow 60 people, but it says 50.” It’s a reminder that dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s matters when implementing a federal/state program. Vela adds that the ELP program lost a grant it was seeking because of past licensing findings. “It is a real thing and it is a real consequence if we don’t comply,” he tells the Policy Council. It’s Vela’s last meeting as the head administrator—he stepped in to manage meetings when Valtierra and Jaramillo were placed on leave. He announces Anabel Garcia will become the new ELP director on July 1. “Since November, when I started attending these meetings, I have kept you informed of a situation we had in the program,” Vela says. “I can’t give you the details but I can report the investigation was done… “We know there are challenging times in our program. We cannot thank enough our staff, and especially you, our parents, for your patience.” ••••• Not everyone was patient during the investigation. While her career spanned 24 years, Valtierra had been in the assistant director role for just a couple of months when she was placed on leave for the investigation. During that time, she sent multiple emails to MCOE HR Director Leigh Butler, asking for an update. “I have been as patient and respectful as possible throughout this five-month investigation, which seems to have brought up additional concerns beyond the initial issues,” she wrote. “I have remained confident because I have always maintained the greatest integrity, following procedures while maintaining a strong work ethic.” Valtierra says she remains proud of the work she did for ELP. “My legacy to the program is all the systems, policies, procedures—all I’ve done, I left it there,” she says. “Anyone that comes in can continue to implement it. They will need that passion and honesty, the heart, to really use federal and state funds to serve the neediest families.” Valtierra was once a Head Start mom herself. She immigrated from Mexico, where she had been attending law school, and raised her three children in the U.S. Her middle child is autistic, and she scrambled to understand her options. “There were no resources then,” she says. She connected informally with other special needs parents, and began a journey into a career that would define her. Valtierra is reluctant to speak about the specifics of White’s report, in large part because most of the findings focus not on her, but on the former director. Jaramillo served for 11 years as ELP director. She declines to comment on specifics in the report, but says she is proud of the program. “I want to make sure the services for our kids are not jeopardized,” she says. “Our kids need to be prioritized and I am happy with what I accomplished.” Jaramillo and Valtierra did not receive copies of the investigation from MCOE until the Weekly requested it, and both suggest it was incomplete. (After it was produced, MCOE in February notified the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing of the allegations.) The Policy Council likewise did not receive the report, and Carmona says “I can’t give you the details, but I can report the investigation was done.” DANIEL DREIFUSS “I want to focus on promoting lifelong learning for the students,” says Anabel Garcia, who became Monterey County’s Early Learning Program director on July 1. “The children come happy and ready to learn.”
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