Carpinteria Unified board approves reconfiguration of Carpinteria Family School after hours of public testimony

The Carpinteria Unified School District governing board on June 24 approved a reconfiguration of Carpinteria Family School (CFS) for the 2025–26 school year that reduces the program from three K–5 classrooms to a single combined 4–5 classroom, a move administrators said will save roughly $360,000 and address declining enrollment.

Parents, students and teachers packed the meeting room and urged the board not to dismantle the two‑decades‑old program. "Eliminating Family School saves 1% of the budget, but it comes at a much greater cost to educational quality and choice," said parent Jessica Petrillo, noting parents estimate the program costs about $450,000 a year and arguing that clear communication and outreach could boost enrollment.

Superintendent Rigby told trustees the recommendation responds both to districtwide enrollment declines and to reserves that dipped below state guidance. "Our ending fund balance fell to 2.12%, below the state required minimum of 3%," the superintendent said in presenting the proposal, later adding that staffing accounts for roughly 85% of the district budget.

Speakers representing CFS emphasized the program's academic and community value. "Family School has been part of this community for over 20 years," parent Nikki Wilmore said. A 9‑year‑old student, Sailor Allison, testified she would be "deeply appreciated" if the board kept the program. Former and current teachers and parents proposed lower‑cost alternatives, including reassigning an existing GATE or Catalino teacher to preserve a 2–3 class and increasing community outreach to rebuild enrollment.

Trustees asked staff detailed questions about enrollment projections, whether other district sites could absorb CFS students without added cost, and how staffing reductions would be implemented. The superintendent said keeping CFS open without sufficient enrollment would require the district to maintain staff levels that the current budget cannot sustain over a multiyear projection.

Trustee motioned and the board approved the reconfiguration as presented. The motion record in the transcript identifies the mover and seconder only by speaker turns; a roll call tally was not recorded in full in the public transcript. The board will reassess staffing and enrollment in January 2026 when projections for 2026–27 are finalized and layoffs, if any, must be determined by state timelines.

The reconfiguration is framed as a one‑year accommodation intended to allow rising fifth graders to promote with their current teacher while staff and enrollment trends are monitored; district leaders said a future recommendation to close could follow if projected enrollment and reserves do not improve.

Next steps: the board directed staff to use January enrollment projections to inform 2026–27 staffing and to report back on options for preserving program elements at other sites.