Santa Rosa City Schools’ teachers express widespread doubt about Superintendent Morales
Outraged community members express distrust in Morales (Alexa Rios/The Puma Presna)
By Maddie Smith and Alexa Rios, Sports and Executive Editor
Tensions surrounding school closures and staff cuts have troubled Santa Rosa City Schools. Since the beginning of the year, students, staff, and parents have expressed concern about Superintendent Dr. Daisy Morales’ ability to lead the School District after recent controversies. Still, staff doubts about Morales became clear in the no-confidence vote results on March 25.
Santa Rosa Teachers Association (SRTA) members, including teachers, counselors, speech pathologists, and more, began voting on Friday, March 14 and continued through Monday, March 24, after administrative cuts were made across the district the previous day. Angry community members protested to express their frustration, and the SRTA sought staff opinions in its initial survey and subsequent vote. The outcome was an overwhelmingly negative view of Dr. Morales’ leadership. The survey had the following questions and quantitative results.
Do you have confidence in Superintendent Morales?
No: 97.09%
Yes: 2.91%
Do you have confidence in the district plan for next year?
No: 98.26%
Yes: 1.74%
Do you have faith in the district’s ability to lead SRCS through the current crisis?
No: 98.11%
Yes: 1.89%
With such striking data, community distrust of her behavior is more apparent than ever. An overwhelming 688 voters cast ‘no’ compared to 20 voting ‘yes’, ensuring a strong public opinion.
The numbers are similar to those of a previous vote in Morales’ old Santa Cruz district. Morales left the position after the results of that vote were released because who would want to work in a district that doesn’t trust them?
The voting results came right after a petition to remove Morales from her role as Superintendent gained traction. As of March 27, the petition has 4,618 signatures, and is likely to grow.