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Santa Rosa board approves $15 million fiscal stabilization plan, clearing path to major staff and program cuts
Summary
The Santa Rosa City Schools board voted 6–1 on Feb. 11 to adopt a fiscal stabilization plan intended to close a roughly $15 million structural deficit, approving reductions that shrink school‑based mental‑health staff and revise special‑education delivery while staff pursue external funding and implementation details.
The Santa Rosa City Schools Board of Education approved a fiscal stabilization plan on Feb. 11 aimed at closing roughly a $15 million structural deficit, voting 6–1 after hours of public comment and trustee deliberations.
Superintendent Lisa August and Chief Financial Officer Luz Casarez told the board the district can meet immediate cash needs from internal onetime sources and does not expect to require a state emergency apportionment this fiscal year. Casarez said the budget solutions before trustees include both one‑time cash steps and multi‑year reductions intended to rebuild reserves and avoid state receivership.
The plan enacted by the board includes significant personnel and program changes proposed in the staff packet: a substantial reduction in school‑based therapists (reducing the current team to a smaller core focused on legally mandated services), changes to special‑education models (shifting…
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