Amador County Unified board rescinds old consolidation plan, orders CEQA review of new proposal

The Amador County Unified School District board voted unanimously to rescind a prior consolidation resolution and to direct staff to complete environmental review of a new consolidation proposal.

Superintendent Mark Critchfield told trustees the board was not approving construction or a final consolidation decision. "This resolution does not mean that we are consolidating no matter what," he said, describing the action as direction to "fully vet out this potential consolidation plan" and to conduct whatever level of CEQA analysis is required.

The resolution, described as item 13.1, would replace the January 18, 2023 resolution that previously set a distinct consolidation configuration. Under the new direction staff will study a model that would house grades 7–9 countywide at the Argonaut campus and grades 10–12 countywide at the Amador campus, evaluate repurposing Jackson Junior High for adult education and transition programs, and phase Ione Elementary moves over a three-year timeline if adopted later.

Junaid Halani, city and environmental counsel from Lozano Smith, explained key legal steps: "CEQA requires that any when a lead agency approves a project, in this case, this new consolidation plan, you have to go through whatever level of analysis is required by CEQA," including a notice of exemption, mitigated negative declaration, or an Environmental Impact Report depending on the findings. He said technical work from the district's prior draft EIR may be reusable as background for the new analysis.

Residents and students urged the board to consider specific community impacts during the review. Tom Peyton, a parent and speaker, said the plan risks reducing youth sports opportunities: "If we're going to gamble, it should not be with our kids' opportunities." Several student board members described worries about loss of roster spots and the effect on boys' athletics; one student cited a figure of "82 junior high and younger students" who could lose roster spots under the proposed change.

Public speakers also raised fiscal concerns. Patricia Anjija, treasurer of Amador's Heart of Gold, criticized benefit increases for top-paid district office staff while the district faces deficits, noting figures for the district's shortfall: "the AC USD deficit of $2,371,014 and the Amador County office deficit of $1,887,573." She urged the board to prioritize spending cuts and transparency as the CEQA work proceeds.

Trustees said the resolution merely restarts technical evaluation rather than locking the district into a plan. Several board members emphasized robust community outreach, consultation with local jurisdictions on traffic and parking mitigation, and staged funding: Critchfield noted the first-phase work would use initial consolidation savings and developer fees and that staff will return with CEQA cost estimates at upcoming meetings.

Environmental and traffic concerns were a recurring theme. Craig Baraco, executive director of Foothill Conservancy, urged the district to take responsibility for traffic mitigation at sites that would see higher student volumes, saying the impacts are predictable and should be addressed with local jurisdictions.

The board approved the resolution by voice vote; trustees said the district will issue requests for bids for CEQA consulting and post updates on a revamped consolidation hub on the district website. Staff said a price for CEQA review should be available at a subsequent meeting and that any eventual consolidation would return to the board for a separate approval vote.

Next steps: staff will solicit CEQA proposals, incorporate prior technical studies where appropriate, and present a timeline and cost estimate to the board. No construction or consolidation implementation will begin without later board action following the CEQA process.