Personnel Commission

The Escondido Union School District is seeking interested applicants for appointment to its Personnel Commission

The Escondido Union School District is seeking interested applicants for appointment to its Personnel Commission for a term of three years, beginning December 1, 2023.  The Commission normally convenes once each month in a public meeting to provide oversight and review staff recommendations.

The Personnel Commission is a non-partisan public body responsible for the administration of a "merit system" for the selection, retention, and promotion of classified (non-teaching) employees in the Escondido Union School District.  By law, the Commission is composed of three members: one member appointed by the Board of Trustees, one member nominated by the classified employees, and the third member appointed by the other two Personnel Commissioners.  Commissioners are appointed for three-year terms, with the term of one member expiring each year.

To be eligible for appointment or reappointment to the Personnel Commission, a person must be a registered voter, a resident of Escondido and must be a known adherent to the principles of the merit system.  Appointees cannot be employees of Escondido Union School District for members of a school's governing board.

Interested residents of Escondido should submit a letter of interest no later than September 29, 2023 at 4:00 p.m. to Ashley Bird at abird@eusd.org, or in person to 2310 Aldergrove Avenue, Escondido, CA, 92029.

Escondido Union School District is one of nearly 100 merit system districts in the state of California. Merit system principles and practices help ensure a quality education for all students by hiring and retaining highly qualified classified staff.

Merit System

Escondido USD adopted the Merit System of personnel management for it's classified employees in 1966. It is the responsibility of the Personnel Commission to oversee the program by setting policy, adopting a budget and appointing a Director of Classified Personnel to administer it's program. The chief activities of a Merit System are:

  1. Recruitment and Selection

  2. Classification and Compensation

  3. Employee Appeal Rights

RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION

The guiding principles of a Merit System is that each employee should be hired and promoted upon the basis of relative MERIT as determined by competitive assessment. Candidates are then placed onto an eligibility list in order of total exam score. Candidates are certified from the top three ranks of the eligibility list to hiring managers for final interviews.

CLASSIFICATION

The Commission oversees the process of defining, categorizing, and allocation positions to appropriate classes, arranging classes into occupational hierarchies, determining reasonable relationships between classes within these occupational hierarchies, and preparing written class specifications. Typically, the process is the result of classification studies as well as surveys of other districts or agencies. If you believe you are assigned duties that fall outside of your assigned job classification, please fill out the Job Audit Request Form (PDF) and submit it to the Classified Personnel Office for review.

APPEALS FORM DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS

Permanent classified employees have the right to appeal any formal disciplinary action (i.e. termination, suspension, involuntary demotion) issued by the Board of Education. The Commission shall, upon request of an accused employee, order a hearing. After conclusion of the hearing, the Commission may sustain the decision of the Board of Education, modify it, or reverse it.

Personnel Commission Meetings & Documents

Personnel Commission Meetings are normally held once each month at the Carilyn Gilbert Education Center located at 2310 Aldergrove Avenue, Escondido, CA 92029.

Personnel Commission agendas for regular meetings are posted at least 72 hours in advance. Click below to see an agenda for an upcoming meeting or to join a scheduled Personnel Commission meeting.

Meeting Schedules and Agendas

Rules, Reports and Contact Information

Click to see the 2023 Meeting Schedule.

Read the EUSD Personnel Commission Rules and Regulations (PDF).

Access BoardDocs to access an upcoming agenda or join a live meeting.

View the 2021-2022 Annual Personnel Commission Report (PDF).

View past agendas of the Personnel Commission.

Submit a question to the Personnel Commission regarding it's assigned activities.

Meet the Commissioners

Jill Fergison

jfergison@eusd.org

Began serving 2021. Jill Fergison has been involved with Escondido public schools for over 50 years. She began her time as a student herself and later continued her connection with EUSD as a member of the classified service for over forty years! During her employment with the District, Jill served as a CSEA representative and as a member of the bargaining team. In addition to serving as a commissioner on the EUSD Personnel Commission, she also serves as a member on the Board of Directors for a local non-profit preschool. Commissioner Fergison is a firm believer in the principles of the Merit system and its efforts to provide the most qualified employees to serve our students. Jill has a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with an emphasis in Personnel Management from National University.

Pam Morasco

pmorasco@eusd.org

Began serving 2019. Commissioner Morasco is somewhat new to the Commission but has been associated with CSEA since 1998.  Ms Morasco has had the unique distinction of working at various positions and levels as a Classified Employee at all High Schools in the EUHSD (Valley Center, Valley, Orange Glen, San Pasqual, Del Lago Academy and Escondido).  She was chosen by the EUHSD as the lone representative for the District wide Classified Employees as a team member for the planning and development of the Del Lago Academy. Pam continues to work in education presently. 

Pam first moved to Escondido in 1962.  She attended Orange Glen High School and married her High School sweetheart.  Pam and her husband have four children and are waiting for the arrival of grandchild number eight!  Commissioner Morasco is very active in her church and community and has worked with various youth groups for many, many years.  She has also spent several years doing volunteer work as a Humanitarian Service Missionary in various countries of the Caribbean and South America.   

Carol Gutschmidt

cgutschmidt@eusd.org

Began serving 2023. Commissioner Gutschmidt is the newest member to the Personnel Commission being appointed as the Board of Education representative in March 2023. She previously served on the Personnel Commission in 2016. She retired from EUSD in June 2014 after working as a Payroll Clerk and Technician for 20 years. During this time she served multiple terms as President of CSEA Chapter 150. Carol believes this gives her a unique perspective in her position on the Commission as she knows the ins and outs of being a Classified employee. She has two sons, Brooks and Mitchell, that are successful products of the EUSD school system. Her hobbies include crafts, baseball and spending as much time as possible with her husband, Jon, and her 3 grandchildren.

A triangle titled The Merit System Triangle. A long description is provided below in the text box.

Text description of The Merit System Triangle

This graphic is titled The Merit System Triangle. It has four sections; the first labeled Community, the second labeled EUSD and its Students, the third labeled Candidates and Employees and the fourth labeled The Merit System Benefits Everyone. The section labeled Community shows text “Community: Responsible use of authority, and effective and efficient use of tax dollars. The section labeled EUSD and its Students shows text “EUSD and its Students: High performing employees result in successful District services and operations for its students.” The section labeled Candidates and Employees shows text “Candidates and Employees: Fair and objective hiring and employment decisions.” The section labeled The Merit System Benefits Everyone shows text “The Merit System Benefits Everyone”

To apply for EUSD now, check out our current list of Classified Job Openings. To see salary schedules, read class descriptions, and find helpful tips, check out EUSD's Classified Career Page. Current employees can find additional helpful information on the Classified Forms & Publications page.