Community speakers urge keeping Stefan Manor open as committee finalizes ranked-closure recommendations

The 7‑Eleven committee of the Vallejo City Unified heard more than a half-dozen public comments urging the district to keep Stefan Manor Elementary open and voted to prioritize equity analysis in the ranked list of potential closures.

Chair Kimberly Marquez Cortez opened the public-comment period and read an emailed plea from Renee Sykes, who wrote that tutoring she and a partner provide at Lincoln Elementary shows the school is a safe place for students experiencing trauma and urged the committee, "Keep Lincoln Elementary School open so that these children are allowed to have a fighting chance at life." Multiple in-person speakers concentrated on Stefan Manor, describing long-standing community partnerships and recent facility upgrades that, they said, make Stefan Manor a better option than moving students to Penny Cookook.

Deborah Rotor, who said she has lived at Stefan Manor since 1993, told the committee Stefan Manor has empty classroom space and recent upgrades "with new HVAC systems, a new blacktop, new roofs that don't leak, and a new playground," and argued the site would be more cost-effective to keep open than moving programs to Penny Cookook. Teacher Kaylee Cameron and a…