Santa Rosa school board reviews closure and consolidation scenarios as district seeks $20 million in cuts

Santa Rosa City Schools trustees and staff spent a Feb. 7 study session reviewing maps, enrollment data and cost projections for multiple consolidation scenarios the district could use to reduce a projected budget shortfall that district leaders say totals about $20 million.

Superintendent Morales opened the special board meeting to explain that the session would be a workshop-style discussion focused on “school consolidations and closures,” then staff walked trustees through detailed fact sheets showing attendance maps, budgets and projected savings for several options, including a ‘‘3-1-1’’ plan (closing three elementary schools, one middle school and one high school), a range of ‘‘super‑elementary’’ consolidations, and more ambitious proposals to convert some high schools to 7–12 campuses.

The board and staff emphasized the practical limits that would affect any timetable to implement changes by the next school year. Emmanuel Bardelli, executive director of information and evaluation, summarized how the fact sheets were organized: “So every fact sheet starts with an attendance map,” and then shows projected enrollments, current capacity, and unrestricted general‑fund impacts. Lisa August, associate superintendent for business services, and facilities staff cautioned that physical capacity, portable classroom availability, California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) exemptions and Division of the State Architect (DSA) approvals constrain how fast the district can move.

Why it matters

The choices under consideration would affect thousands of students, teacher and classified staffing levels, special education services and the district’s ability to meet legal funding requirements. Board members and staff repeatedly framed the exercise as practical problem‑solving: the district needs large, immediate reductions in operating expense, but trustees must weigh capacity, student safety, program continuity and legal constraints before making a…