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 tutor identified as Kendall each described strong local ties with a nearby church and volunteers; Cameron said Stefan Manor’s multipurpose room allows the school to host community events and serve large numbers of families.

Several faith and volunteer leaders reinforced the message. Betty Schultz, a former district teacher and Stefan Manor volunteer, and Margaret Pulk, reading a letter from Reverend Wendy Camiri Stager of Community Presbyterian Church, described tutoring, clothing drives and food distributions that the church runs in partnership with the school. Lori Tackmire, a 26‑year district employee, told the committee that moving students to portables at Penny Cookook would be disruptive and raised health concerns, saying she had observed mold and poor conditions in Penny Cookook’s portables.

Committee members repeatedly reminded the public that the 7‑Eleven committee is advisory and does not make final closure decisions. "This is not the school board," the chair said, and the report and any future closure decisions will go to the board; staff said the school board is expected to make final determinations after receiving the committee’s report and the district’s equity-impact analysis, the first draft of which staff said won’t be ready until September.

During deliberations the committee considered both community testimony and facilities data. Legal counsel presented a draft report that reflected subcommittee feedback. Christy Gardner asked to memorialize successful programs at Federal Terrace, suggesting language that highlights the school's work with professional learning communities (PLCs) and academic progress in kindergarten literacy; the committee agreed to include that context.

The committee voted to move the committee’s recommendation about considering the equity-impact analysis (recommendation number six) to the top of the findings so the board will review the ranked list and recommendations together with the equity analysis. Members also voted on a change to the ranked list after public testimony and staff updates: the committee approved switching the positions of Penny Cookook and Stefan Manor in the ranking and directed staff to revise the findings accordingly, including proposed language that would close Penny Cookook and consolidate Penny Cookook students to Stefan Manor while repurposing the Penny Cookook site for other district uses.

The committee then approved the final findings and recommendations and agreed to present the report to the Vallejo City Unified Board of Education at the board’s open meeting on August 20; staff said presentations should be kept to about 20 minutes and recommended scheduling the committee’s presentation near the start of open session so the public can comment on the item. Committee members volunteered to present; staff offered to prepare a shared slide deck and talking points.

Votes taken during the meeting included approval of the July 28 minutes (motion passed, one abstention recorded), the motion to prioritize the equity-impact finding, the vote to switch Penny Cookook and Stefan Manor in the ranking, and final approval of the report. The committee adjourned at about 6:16 p.m.

What happens next: the committee’s final report, including the reordered recommendations and the added text highlighting Federal Terrace’s PLC work and kindergarten literacy gains, will be presented to the Vallejo City Unified Board of Education on August 20. The board will review the committee’s recommendations together with the district’s equity-impact analysis and other data before making any closure or consolidation decisions.