By Lucas Shaw,
Staff Writer.
Democracy is messy, as can be evidenced from recent board meetings. Toward the end of the 2024 spring semester, the district announced a threat of state takeover if they could not find $20 million to heal their looming 8% fiscal deficit. Their plan, ensuing anger and fear across the community, was to close three elementary schools, one middle school and one high school.
The news was a shock for the community, coming to the public’s attention after a Press Democrat article published only a few months ago. When the information reached the public, many students at SRHS became frightened for their school. “Santa Rosa has so much history. . . I used to envision my cousins coming here, and it’s weird to think that may not be possible,” said senior Janelle Wanliss.
When trustee Omar Medina commented on the lack of Santa Rosa High School’s presence at these board meetings, the community worried about how the consolidation process would continue. After the comments were made, SRHS banded together to advocate for their school to stay open. The campaign was led by history teacher Ashley Bell: “There are a lot of people in the public who feel they are being manipulated. . . I feel conflicted, but I don’t feel fine about that.” Bell’s ecstatic activism for SRHS led to large turnouts by students and teachers at board and committee meetings in which SRHS students held big signs provided by Bell, sang the fight song and took public comment to the extreme. Even a petition asking for the preservation of Santa Rosa High was made and passed around by sophomore Reid Heavner and senior Robert Merrick.
As the day of the decision crept closer, the reality of the board’s decision became clearer in a public meeting on Feb. 18. They discussed two solutions for serious consideration: combining all high schools and middle schools, and the closure of three elementary schools, one middle and one high school, otherwise known as 3-1-1. The 7-12 plan was put into consideration after pushback from high school communities, preaching that instead of closing down high schools, they close all middle schools and transfer 7-8 grade onto high school campuses. This scenario wasn’t popular, though. Advocates against the 7-12 plan stated that the plan was infeasible and there was no way they would send middle schoolers onto high school campuses.
In their discussion on Feb. 18, the board brought up Elsie Allen as the high school to possibly close. Surprisingly this followed the suggestions provided by the Consolidation Committee. Regardless of their programs and strong community, the school simply does not have the attendance rates to get the funding they need.
However, the potential closure of Elsie Allen brought debates of equality and equity to the board on Feb. 19. In a prepared statement, board trustee Stephanie Manieri announced, “Through all of this Elsie Allen has remained steadfast, serving 900 to 1000 families who actively choose to be a part of our community. . . Closing Elsie Allen would unravel decades of progress.” Unfortunately, the enrollment issues at Elsie Allen are long in the making, and have more to do with the removal of feeder schools like Cook Elementary, a decision made by Maneiri over eight years ago.
The meeting on Feb. 19 went much like the Consolidation Committee meetings had over the last few months. The conversations would go back and forth, spinning in circles, debating on why each plan wouldn’t be feasible. Despite these debates, there was a lack of solutions provided. At 10:34 p.m. the board reached a stalemate, waiting for someone to make a motion to vote on which schools to close. The trustees went on, despite the lack of motion, and continued to debate the logistics of each scenario.
At 10:59, De La Torre made the motion to approve the 3-3-pause, seconded by Maneiri. The motion failed after three trustees voted “no,” Sarah Jenkins, Nick Caston and Mark Kirby. Kirby spoke out for his vote, stating that he could not prolong this process of fear for the high school students. Board President Roxane McNally backed her “yes” by stating that she believed the 3-3-pause was the most fiscally responsible action to take, providing the district with the time needed to understand the fiscal status. At 11:00 p.m. all trustees except Maneiri voted to decide on the elementary consolidation, leaving the topic of high schools for another time, prolonging the anxiety throughout the community, and leaving the district stuck with the same financial issues that started the conversation.
