Does Santa Rosa City Schools really have a plan following closures?
Slide show of aspects relating to the School Closures (Sophia Nagra/ staff writer, Natalia Woods/A&E Editor, Madeleine Smith/ staff writer)
By: Madeleine Smith, staff writer
The school year is winding down, but students and families are feeling none of the relief that comes with those final few months. Discussions of school closures and program consolidation have overwhelmed the community for the entire school year, but everything came to a head on February 21, when the School Board finally made their decision.
As of now, the plan for next year is to close Brook Hill Elementary and Albert Biella Elementary at the end of this school year and close Steele Lane Elementary after the 2025-2026 school year. Current sites for Santa Rosa Middle School and Herbert Slater Middle School will close and be consolidated onto Santa Rosa High School and Montgomery High School campuses, respectively, for next year. In the meantime, all high schools will remain open, and the previous at-risk-of-closure school, Elsie Allen High, will instead promote project based learning and educational programs to boost their enrollment numbers.
Here is a list of important events pertaining to Santa Rosa City Schools closures, going back to May of last year.
May 2024
The Fiscal Stabilization Committee (FSC) begins discussions about the budget crisis as it applies for the upcoming school year.
August 2024
The School Consolidation Advisory Committee (SCAC) meets to select leadership and review committee responsibilities, the Brown Act, and proposed criteria for closure and consolidation.
The FSC considers state adopted budget, involvement from Sonoma County Office of Education (SCOE), and actual vs. projected enrollment.
September 2024
The SCAC reviews demographic trends, facility capacity, and site analysis.
The FSC looks at programs, funding, enrollments, cost analysis, and fiscal stabilization plan for 2024-2025.
October 2024
The SCAC discusses architecture and facilities of school sites.
The FSC looks at Special Ed programs at school sites and feasibility.
The FSC discusses school-based therapists and mental health supports, staffing ratios, Special Ed plans, and possible plans for budget reductions.
Example scenario was 2 elementary schools: $3.1 million; 1 middle school: $2.5 million; 1 high school: $5.5 million; Total potential savings: $11.1 million.
Educational and Student Support Services presentation for SCAC.
November 2024
The FSC reviews cost analysis, staffing, hiring, and possibly converting charter schools.
The FSC recommends saving $11 million in school closures.
The SCAC looks over current budget, multi-year projections, direct costs of schools, alternative uses of sites, and transportation issues.
December 2024
The SCAC continues to review criteria and rank schools for closure.
December 16 SCAC meeting has to be moved to SRHS for larger audience space.
January 2025
Town Hall meetings happen across the district and Option 6 that supports a plan that closes a small number of schools and makes the district face cuts and stop overspending gains attention.
Special SCAC meeting is called for January 17 to decide rankings and work on their official report for the Board.
January 22 Board meeting is overcrowded and attendees are asked to leave.
Last SCAC meeting to finalize their report.
February 2025
The Board meets on February 19 to make their final decision about school closures and consolidations and fails to come to a conclusion.
The Board holds an extra meeting on February 21 and decides on closures.
March 2025
Teachers and staff are riffed, until March 14.
Widespread administrative cuts across the district.
Maria Carrillo High School students, parents, and staff storm the District Office to protest the termination of Principal Amy Wiese.
Santa Rosa Teachers Association votes 97.09% no confidence in Superintendent Dr. Daisy Morales.
April 2025
Lindsey Apkarian and Kyla Bradylong are rehired for their administrative positions at Carrillo.
Through all of these discussions, new ideas, and attempts at planning, rumors spread like wildfire. False information and exaggerated stories have been everywhere for the last six months, when people finally started recognizing the issue. Despite the fact that SRCS financial issues go back years, and conversations about the current predicament began in May of 2024, the situation didn’t gain real traction among the general community until November, when people took to forming groups, making signs, and speaking at public comment time to express their concerns. Senior Erin Kelleher said she found out about the problems “back in November,” but didn’t know about any budget crisis before that. She said, “in fact, from the outside looking in – like my parents and friends – they thought Santa Rosa City Schools was doing really well… with the new TVs, and the solar panels, and the lights.”
As a result of spending from the district, people were taken by surprise and totally overwhelmed by the idea of closing schools – so much so, that other issues, like staff cuts and relocation were tossed to the side. Janae Burgess, a senior at MCHS, said, “with Mrs. Wiese there was a lot of talk, but with actual teachers moving, there was not that much.” People were not thinking much about workers in the district because there was so much focus on students.
Over the last few months, tensions between schools rose exponentially, and the community has suffered from it. In a time when positivity should have been promoted, the district has enabled people’s outrage and perpetuated conflict.
Now, most people have little to no confidence in Dr. Morales, the School Board, or the District as a whole. Plans for next year are vague and wildly underdeveloped and everyone is worried about the outcome of their irresponsible behavior.