Parents, teachers and students press Santa Rosa board over layoffs, consolidation and administrator removals

The Santa Rosa City Schools Board of Education heard a detailed report on the district's school consolidation and transition plans on March 26 while dozens of parents, teachers and students used public comment to demand the reinstatement of site administrators and clearer information about recent layoffs and school closures.

The meeting included an update from district staff on how empowered teams, implementation teams and a design steering group are coordinating the consolidation work, and several speakers said those plans have not prevented confusion on the ground. Parents and staff recounted a March 14 staffing incident at Hidden Valley Elementary in which many classroom adults and substitutes did not report, leaving some young children unsupervised until parents arrived, and called for a root‑cause analysis and stronger protocols for staff absences.

District officials described the transition process and next steps. They said empowered teams and implementation teams are drafting weekly updates; a transition web page and a frequently asked questions document have been posted; a pool of vetted moving companies will be presented to the board on April 9; and appeals for recent intra‑district transfer decisions are scheduled for the week of April 7. Staff also briefed the board on special education planning: some preschool special day class (SDC) moves to Biella will be delayed until 2026–27 because site bathrooms were judged inappropriate for preschool use and facilities work will be needed before moving all classes at once. SELPA and the Sonoma County Office of Education (SCOE) will host community meetings for special education families in mid‑April, staff said.

Parents and employee organizations framed their comments around the district's handling of layoffs and administrative reassignments. The Santa Rosa Teachers Association president, Catherine Howell, said SRTA members voted 98 percent in favor of a no‑confidence measure in district leadership and urged the board to remove Superintendent Daisy Morales and open a search for new leadership. Mary Lehman, president of the California School Employees Association local, said CSEA would pursue bargaining over the effects of layoffs and noted that classified staff had received layoff notices by the March 15 deadline.

Student and teacher speakers from Maria Carrillo High School, Santa Rosa Middle and other campuses urged the board to reinstate principals and counselors they said had improved school climate and safety. Multiple speakers cited Maria Carrillo principal Amy Weese's removal as an example; students and staff described academic and mental‑health gains under the leadership they said is now being replaced. Hidden Valley parents and staff identified the site's principal Brad Coscarelli and several classroom and family‑engagement staff as central to their school community and asked the board to keep them in place or find suitable placements.

District staff emphasized procedural constraints and timelines. They said layoffs and reassignments followed board direction and occurred under tight timelines; staff reported that notices to employees were issued in mid‑March. On enrollment and transfers, the district said it received 1,280 intra‑district transfer requests after opening two application windows and that families were notified of outcomes during spring break; 276 requests were placed on waiting lists at Santa Rosa High and Maria Carrillo, and appeals will be scheduled the week of April 7. The district said it used an updated administrative regulation (AR 5116.1) to set transfer priorities for this year, elevating concurrently enrolled siblings above other categories to reduce disruption for families.

Special education staff said they had asked SELPA for increased behavioral‑training support for classrooms and were developing a schedule of parent meetings. The district also said it had created a transition FAQ page and a Google form on the transition web page for community questions and that printed updates in English and Spanish were being distributed at school sites.

Speakers representing the Parent Faculty Organization at Hidden Valley, ELAC leadership, teachers and classified staff described the community's emotional response and loss of trust. Several public commenters cited safety and equity concerns, the loss of counselors and restorative staff, and the need for bilingual administrators at campuses that serve large Spanish‑speaking populations.

Board members and staff committed to continued updates. Trustees asked for more detail on how 504 accommodations and special‑education records will be captured during transitions and asked staff to return with written reports on those topics. The board also noted upcoming subcommittee work with SCOE to outline supports over the next six to seven months. The combined public comment and staff updates signaled that the consolidation plan will remain a central, contested issue at upcoming meetings.

The board did not take policy changes at the meeting to rescind the personnel decisions criticized in public comment; many commenters demanded immediate reinstatements or greater transparency. The district said additional details and schedules will be provided at future meetings and through the posted transition materials.