Santa Rosa board approves restructuring to keep Elsie Allen open, adopts phased 7–12 plan

SANTA ROSA, Calif. — The Santa Rosa City Schools Board of Education voted to approve on Feb. 21 a district plan to restructure its secondary schools that preserves Elsie Allen High School and phases other campus changes over two years, a measure trustees and staff said is intended to help the district avert deeper fiscal distress.

The motion, moved by Trustee Casten and seconded by Trustee De la Torre, passed in a roll‑call vote with six yes and one no. Student board member Zuniga and trustees Casten, De la Torre, Kirby, Manieri and President McNally voted yes; Trustee Jenkins voted no. The plan directs a two‑year phased reorganization, priority transfer rules for affected students in year one, and additional strategic planning and community engagement before year‑two implementation.

Board members and district staff said the proposal is driven by an urgent fiscal picture and aims to limit layoffs and school closures while building programs to attract and retain students. Dr. Dan Carter of the Sonoma County Office of Education, which is working with the district, told trustees that SCO “has state responsibility to make sure that you're fiscally solvent, 3 years out.” Staff also reminded the board that the budget submitted in December assumed roughly $25 million in cuts and that the district must demonstrate a credible pathway back to balanced multi‑year projections.

Under the approved motion, Elsie Allen (referred to in staff materials as LC Allen in some remarks) will be restructured into a programmatic high school emphasizing project‑based and experiential learning, incorporating the existing university center and public‑health and public‑safety tracks. The board adopted the draft 2026–27 attendance maps for implementation steps: in year one the district will prioritize transfers and convert some middle schools into 7–12 programs (Slater and Santa Rosa Middle would merge with Montgomery and Santa Rosa High respectively); in year two the district would close Comstock and merge its students into Pioneer, and Elsie Allen would transition to an open‑enrollment/specialty model with a planned 7–12 feeder structure to restore neighborhood pathways.

Trustees and staff framed the move as a compromise to reduce the short‑term number of proposed school closures and provide staff and the community time to design and implement the new programs. Staff told the board the plan would yield district savings similar to previously modeled options, with staff presenting a year‑one savings figure the board discussed as roughly $6.86 million (as presented to trustees), and that differences between competing scenarios were on the order of a few million dollars. Trustees and SCO staff emphasized that the reorganization alone is not an immediate program redesign — the board directed staff to launch a strategic‑planning process and a community engagement timeline in the coming weeks and to present additional details at the board's March meeting and at second‑interim certification.

Public comment at the meeting was heavily weighted toward Southwest Santa Rosa families and students urging the board to keep Elsie Allen open. Student Leah Ruby Gabriel told trustees, “The L. C. Allen School needs to remain open because if they close it, many of the students there will have to go to work since they don't have the opportunity or the budget to travel from their home to another school farther away.” Other students and teachers described transit barriers, special programs they rely on and concerns about staff and program stability.

Trustees and staff also heard repeated calls for an equity impact analysis, clearer attendance‑boundary maps with overlay comparisons, and explicit protections for English learners and students with individualized education programs (IEPs). Trustee Manieri and others asked staff to ensure the restructuring preserves special education services and core curriculum at least through the coming year while the district develops the specialty model.

Staff and SCO representatives said the plan is intended to create programmatic offerings that can attract students back to district schools and improve long‑term revenue. Trustees asked that strategic planning start immediately and be agendized at the board's first March meeting; several trustees said they expect the planning process to include teachers, staff, students and community members. The board also directed staff to provide clearer maps, transfer prioritization regulations and implementation details in the near term.

The motion approved by the board includes: restructuring Elsie Allen into a problem‑based, experiential program that retains the university center, public health and public safety tracks; adopting the 2026–27 maps as presented with a year‑one priority transfer process; merging Slater and Santa Rosa Middle into Montgomery and Santa Rosa High in year one; scheduling Comstock to close and merge with Pioneer in year two; and adding a 7–8 culinary and woodshop emphasis at Montgomery. The motion as presented did not itself finalize administrative regulations on transfer priorities, boundary technicalities or all programmatic details; staff said those items will be developed and returned to the board.

Ahead: staff will return with the administrative regulations and implementation plan, additional budget modeling at second interim, and a recommended timeline for the strategic planning and equity review. The district's next regular business item set for board action includes further budget choices and possible revenue‑generation items the staff said could be included in second‑interim projections.

Votes at a glance: - Motion to restructure Elsie Allen and adopt phased 7–12 maps (mover: Trustee Casten; second: Trustee De la Torre). Roll‑call: Yes — Student board member Zuniga, Trustees Casten, De la Torre, Kirby, Manieri, President McNally. No — Trustee Jenkins. Outcome: approved.