Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Staffing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Students and parents urge Santa Rosa board to preserve 0-period electives and music as layoffs loom
Summary
Dozens of students and parents told the Santa Rosa City School Board that eliminating 0-period electives and cutting arts classes would strip students of music, leadership and equitable access. The board approved layoffs tied to its fiscal plan but trustees acknowledged community anguish and asked staff for alternatives.
Students and parents urged the Santa Rosa City School Board on May 13 to reverse or reduce proposed schedule cuts that would eliminate "0-period" electives and shrink music and arts programs, saying the changes would remove the only opportunity some students have to take band, orchestra or other expressive classes.
"All the students taking 0-period know this too. Who will lose that if 0-period is removed?" said Brooklyn Zidler, a seventh grader at Rincon Valley Middle School, during the meeting's public-comment period. Multiple students from RBMS and other middle schools said they would be forced to choose between required academic classes and the arts or lose access entirely.
Parents and community members backed the students. "There's gotta be a way to save the program because people in this community are smart," said Eric Gardner, speaking as a parent and community member, urging district leaders to explore private partnerships and other funding options to keep early-morning music and elective courses running.
Interim Superintendent August Hume acknowledged the "grief, uncertainty, and hardship" that accompany the district's staffing reductions and said the recommendations before the board were driven by fiscal and operational realities. He also announced that the district's recent bond refunding produced more than $12 million in taxpayer savings, but stressed that those savings do not add to the district's operating funds.
The board voted on a set of personnel and budget-related resolutions tied to its fiscal stabilization plan during the meeting. Trustees approved workforce reductions and final recommendations for discontinuance of particular kinds of service (resolutions included in the board packet) on recorded roll-call votes. Several trustees said they wanted more site-level detail about which positions and campuses would be affected and asked staff to provide a site-by-site breakdown of impacts.
Trustees and staff discussed the timeline for rescinds and rehirings. Vicky Zanz, in Human Resources, explained that employees who are laid off will be placed on a 39-month rehire list and that the district generally waits until the first weeks of the school year to make final staffing adjustments, when enrollment and overages become clear. She noted the district does not pay overage staffing in the first 15 days, a period during which schools balance enrollments and may move staff between sites.
Board members acknowledged the emotional toll conveyed by students and parents. Trustee Medina thanked students and parents for testifying and called for the district to establish a committee or process to continue collaborative planning about program design and staffing. Several trustees said they supported the district's commitment to preserving enrichment programs while recognizing budget constraints.
What happens next: The board approved the resolutions tied to the fiscal plan at the meeting (roll-call recorded votes). Staff said they will return with more detailed site-level information about layoffs, rescind timelines and available reassignment options, and the board encouraged administrators to explore both short-term fundraising and longer-term budget answers to preserve arts programming where possible.
