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Petaluma district details North Bay Security partnership; staff and union voices differ on long‑term plan
Summary
District leaders described a two‑year partnership with North Bay Security that includes training, incident support and a spring pilot for on‑site consultants; staff and principals praised the work while some classified‑staff union leaders urged funds be used to hire more district student advisors instead.
Petaluma City Schools staff outlined their partnership with North Bay Security at the March board meeting, describing a range of services from safety‑plan development and incident response to a spring pilot in which a North Bay consultant is assigned to district campuses Monday through Friday.
Esmeralda, a district staff member who introduced the presentation, said the district began a comprehensive review of safety plans in 2022 and contracted with North Bay Security to help strengthen site‑level incident command systems, drill evaluation and staff training. “We entered into a two‑year contract in May 2024,” Esmeralda said, explaining the agreement covers the current 2024–25 school year and 2025–26.
Bill Welch, founder of North Bay Security, and colleagues Jim and Matt described the group’s work. Welch and his team, all of whom have law enforcement backgrounds, told the board they provide intruder‑response training, safety walk‑throughs, drill observation and after‑action reviews, and that staff training has shortened response times for major incidents. District staff said North Bay also played a tactical role during a major incident at a Pen Grove site this fall, and district administrators credited the firm with on‑site support during threats and the days that followed.
The district described a spring pilot that places one security consultant on district business Monday through Friday to provide daily support, campus checks and rapid responses; secondary sites are prioritized for daily presence and elementary schools receive at least weekly visits. Staff reported North Bay provides weekly and monthly activity logs documenting campus checks, drills and incident support.
Principals and site staff praised the partnership. Bridal Noon of Casa Grande told the board North Bay provides expertise not available in district staff and takes notes during drills so sites can improve. Whitney Cottrell, principal at Kenilworth, said North Bay consultants “are not on our campus daily, but when they are, they strengthen our ability to maintain a safe and structured environment” and that the consultants have become trusted adults who help with student reentry and mentoring.
Not all public commenters supported extending outside security services. Patty Pacheco, a long‑time campus supervisor and vice president of a classified chapter, urged the board to redirect funds to hire additional full‑time student advisors who she said provide daily presence and long‑term relationships with students. Jessica Marcy, president of the classified union chapter, urged more equitable pay and resources for classified staff, saying retention problems are harming school operations and staffing.
Board members asked detailed questions about North Bay’s cultural‑responsiveness training, how home visits and residency verifications are conducted, and how outcomes from truancy home visits are tracked. North Bay representatives said contractors wear district IDs, present as working with the schools, and aim to provide low‑confrontation support and follow‑up. Staff said principals who request home visits provide feedback and that some students visited have returned to regular attendance.
District staff emphasized that North Bay augments but does not replace district staff or law enforcement. The board did not take a formal vote to extend the pilot during this meeting. District staff said the two‑year contract for training and partnership work remains in place through 2025–26, while the pilot daily‑presence element runs through the current semester.
The discussion underscores a tension several districts face between contracting specialized security and investing in in‑house student support positions such as student advisors. Board members asked staff to provide additional objective outcome data — for example, attendance changes after home visits and comparative costs and impacts of student advisor positions versus contracted services — in future updates so the board can evaluate long‑term tradeoffs.
