Santa Rosa school board narrows closure plans, keeps two phased models for vote after public equity concerns

The Santa Rosa City Schools Board of Education on Feb. 18 removed a widely discussed “4-4-0” consolidation scenario from consideration and directed staff to bring two alternatives back for the board’s meeting the next day: a 3-3-1 pattern and a phased 3-4-0 model that includes 7‑through‑12 campuses. The move followed more than an hour of public comment and two hours of trustee discussion about enrollment trends, budget shortfalls and community equity, particularly concerns about Southwest Santa Rosa and Elsie Allen High School.

The board’s study session was framed as preparation for a vote. “These are scenarios we really need to hear from the board today around what else do you need from us, to really be ready for a vote tomorrow,” Superintendent Dr. Enrique Morales told trustees as staff opened the presentation.

Trustees debated the feasibility and equity consequences of each model. Several trustees said the 4‑4‑0 plan — which would consolidate many elementary sites into a small number of “mega” elementaries and convert middle schools to 7–12 campuses — was not implementable on the compressed timeline. “Currently, I have no interest in [the] 4‑4‑0 plan,” Trustee Jenkins said. Trustees then asked staff to mark the 4‑4‑0 option as eliminated from the slide deck.

Why it matters

District staff told the board that the district needs roughly $22 million in combined savings and revenue changes across staffing, site consolidations and central office reductions to stabilize future budgets. Staff said that no single scenario as currently configured produces all of those savings in the first year; phasing is intended to buy time for some…