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Parents and staff tell Carpinteria Unified board not to quietly eliminate Family School as budget moves forward
Summary
At a June 11 board meeting, dozens of parents, teachers and students urged the Carpinteria Unified School District to stop shifting grade cuts for Carpinteria Family School into the budget without an agendaized vote, while the board approved the first reading of the 2025-26 budget.
Dozens of parents, teachers and students pressed the Carpinteria Unified School District board on June 11, arguing that a proposed staff-reduction line in the district budget would effectively eliminate grades at Carpinteria Family School (CFS) without a public agenda item or recorded vote. The board approved the first reading of the 2025-26 budget by voice vote after the public hearing.
Families said the changes were being handled opaquely and demanded a separate agenda item so the public could review options and vote. "Major changes to a public school structure should be agendaized and publicly voted on," parent Jessica Petrillo told the board, summarizing a frequent complaint during the meeting.
Speakers described a pattern: last-minute notice about canceled kindergarten options, the removal of Family School from registration materials, and no clear public response from district leadership. "This kind of major programmatic cut needs to have a separate agenda item with public input and a recorded vote," Rachel Kent, a Family School parent, said during the public hearing.
Teachers and parents asked the board to consider reassignment or other no-cost fixes to preserve mixed-age classrooms. "When you cut Family School, you'll be cutting off a limb," parent Kelsey Wit said, urging the board to protect choice and community-school continuity.
Board members and Superintendent Diana Rigby acknowledged the parents' concerns and said the district has met with parent groups. Rigby told the meeting "a decision has not been made" and linked any final action to budget outcomes, saying further discussions could be agendaized if requested.
Union leadership and other commenters also raised broader budget-source concerns, arguing that high legal costs and certain contracting choices contributed to district fiscal pressures. Board President Diamond moved and the board approved the first reading of the proposed budget during the same meeting; members did not record a roll-call vote in the public transcript.
Next steps: the budget will return for later hearings and approvals as the district finalizes assumptions; parents asked the board to place Family School’s status as a standalone agenda item to allow public testimony and a recorded vote rather than resolving the matter through staffing entries in the budget.
