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Board secures positive fiscal certification after cuts; teachers and classified staff press for alternatives
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Summary
The Sonoma County Office of Education concurred with the district's positive second‑interim certification after staff presented a package of budget reductions and cash‑flow plans. Teachers' and classified unions urged the board to reverse cuts and raised no‑confidence votes in district leadership.
The Santa Rosa City School Board on April 22 received a report from fiscal staff showing work to address a prior Sonoma County Office of Education (SCOE) “lack of going concern” finding and to secure a positive second‑interim certification.
Luz Cazares, the district’s finance lead, said the county concurred with the positive certification after the district implemented a series of budget actions, enhanced cash‑flow modeling with ProjectionPRO, established a finance committee and negotiated onetime savings and contract adjustments. “They have comfort and confidence that we will implement with fidelity and discipline,” Cazares told the board.
The certification followed months of contentious public testimony. A representative from SRTA — the teachers’ association — told the board nearly all of the union’s roughly 800 members voted no confidence in interim superintendent Lisa August and in the board president, citing cuts to mental‑health and special‑education supports. A CSEA representative warned that the district’s plan “balances the budget on paper, but not in our schools,” highlighting layoffs and continuing payments to outside providers.
Interim Superintendent August acknowledged community anger and said the cuts were painful but necessary to avoid insolvency and a possible state takeover. “We knew that we would need to do what that we would need to do coming into this year would be difficult,” August said, urging collaboration with community partners and promising continued advocacy for student supports.
Cazares and staff identified continuing risks: enrollment uncertainties, bond‑fund encumbrances, and the need for ongoing monitoring of implementation. They proposed that the fiscal stabilization advisory committee shift from reduction planning to advising on reinvestments and revenue opportunities once the budget is stable. Trustees said they expected close board and finance‑committee oversight and asked for clearer documentation of assumptions and progress at future interim reports.
