Santa Rosa board reviews elementary reconfiguration proposals as parents press to keep neighborhood schools open

Santa Rosa City Schools staff presented a package of elementary reconfiguration options on Oct. 8 as part of a districtwide study session aimed at closing an estimated $10–$15 million shortfall. The plans include converting Helen Lehman and James Monroe into TK–3 primary campuses, using the Hilliard Comstock site as a 4–6 intermediate campus, and recommending the closure of Abraham Lincoln Elementary, while redistributing students from the closed Steele Lane site among nearby schools.

District officials said the proposals are intended to concentrate early literacy work, reduce combination classes and redistribute special‑education program classes that are currently concentrated at a small number of campuses. “Every decision right now is based in the fiscal impact,” Superintendent Emmanuel August told the board, framing the proposals as part of a wider fiscal stabilization effort.

The district presented enrollment and facility analysis showing approximately 1,700 students live in the area affected by Steele Lane’s closure; staff estimated average loads of roughly 620 students at the three receiving campuses under one scenario. Facilities staff told trustees that renovating Steel Lane comprehensively would be costly: “It’s in excess of a $30,000,000 project,” the district’s facilities director said when describing the traffic, sanitation and building work the site would require to continue as a long‑term elementary campus.

Staff and board members described instructional reasons for the TK–3 / 4–6 model. Lisa Haley, Executive Director for Elementary Education, said clustering primary grades promotes early‑literacy interventions and reduces multi‑grade “combo” classes: “By having a third grader that does not have both decoding and comprehension, we are not supporting them as they move up,” Haley said, arguing that concentrating foundational instruction at fewer sites would let teachers collaborate and share interventions.

Special‑education leaders also testified that spreading program classes across more campuses would increase inclusion opportunities. The district’s presentation noted Lincoln currently houses multiple program classes, which the special‑education staff said “diminishes inclusion opportunities” because there are fewer general‑education classes on that campus for students to be included in.

Parents, teachers and students urged the board to slow down, asked for more fiscal detail, and said closures would hurt vulnerable students. Jill Jackson, a 25‑year district employee, told trustees she could not see how the district reached the present crisis without clearer accountability and more transparent numbers: “Why don’t we know if this was a failure on the board’s part?” she asked. Micah Karlin Goldberg, a teacher, warned the board that state guidance requires an equity lens on school‑closure decisions and cited California Education Code 41329 (as discussed in public comment) for the requirement to assess equity impacts.

Several speakers urged keeping Steel Lane open. Diana Marcello read a statement from her daughter, Sofia, asking the board directly: “Please keep Steel Lane open,” Marcello said, reading the student’s plea and describing teachers who provided meals, counseling and continuity for families.

Board members asked staff for more detailed, timely financial analysis before committing to permanent changes. Trustee Roxanne De La Torre said she could not “in good conscience” move forward without actual savings figures. Staff responded they were working to produce more precise current‑year cash flow numbers and that some savings (particularly facilities savings) may not appear immediately in operating budgets.

Transportation, safety and facilities were recurring concerns. Trustees asked how busing and route miles would change under the proposals; staff explained routes can be adjusted to serve split TK–3 and 4–6 configurations but cautioned that some transfers and longer rides would be required. Staff also noted the Comstock site would require playground and restroom work to serve younger children and acknowledged localized safety issues at Comstock (homeless encampments near adjacent park space) would need mitigation and fencing if the site were reused as an elementary campus.

What happens next: trustees urged staff to return with more financial detail, transportation modeling and an equity impact analysis before weighing any formal closure decisions. The study session was explicitly a discussion; no final vote on school closures or boundary changes occurred during the meeting.

Ending: Parents and staff said they will continue public engagement and asked the board to produce numbers and equity assessments before a final decision. The board scheduled follow‑up study sessions; staff said any boundary changes that would affect open‑enrollment timelines could be sequenced to avoid forcing immediate enrollment shifts without public notice.