School Closure and Consolidation Committee Meeting, January 17, 2025

The School Closure and Consolidation Committee during their meeting (Maddie Smith / The Puma Prensa)

Written By: Maddie Smith, Sports Editor

Santa Rosa City Schools’ School Closure and Consolidation Committee met last Friday at 5:30 p.m., on January 17, to narrow down what schools they are going to recommend for closure to the board at the end of the month. This meeting, held in the auditorium at Santa Rosa High School, was tense as the Committee split into groups to discuss their rankings of each school, and community members voiced their opinions and concerns. 

The meeting began with a short introduction from Assistant Superintendent Lisa August, explaining to the attendees that the Committee would be splitting into four groups on the stage to consider their options. This left people in the audience very frustrated because they would be unable to hear the conversations taking place on stage. No microphones were used at the groups’ tables and no other action was taken to broadcast the hour-long discussions to those in attendance. 

Many people who planned to listen in on the meeting chose to leave after hearing they would not be privy to as much information as they thought. Some of those remaining crowded the stage, while others voiced their outrage at their possible violation of the Brown Act, which dictates the appropriate meeting format for government agencies. The Brown Act says that groups like the Consolidation Committee must meet in front of the public and they must be able to give all relevant information to the public. It seems that the meeting was not a violation of the act – only on a technical level – but the community was still outraged. 

After the long discussions, the Committee explained their rankings. As of now, Montgomery High School and Elsie Allen High School are tied for the top choice for closure. Santa Rosa High School takes the third place spot and Piner High School and Maria Carrillo High School tied for last. High schools took up a big part of the meeting last night, but everything is going to be reevaluated in the next meeting. 

Tensions are high as the community awaits the Committee’s recommendation and the School Board’s decision.