A school district in crisis
On September 10 the Sonoma Valley Unified School District sent out a press release called an “update on negotiations” with the teachers union. The nearly two-page detailed report is effectively a description of a District in crisis.
Briefly, there are several aspects to this. The District has been deficit-spending since 2018-19, with the fund balance going from $10.5M then to a current $1.5M. It has also been relying on one-time funds, such as Federal support during Covid. The press release, presumably by the Superintendent Jeanette Rodriguez-Chien, states, “It is therefore imperative that we make significant budget reductions to keep the District fiscally sound, but also to stay operational. If we do not address these budgetary issues, the County Office and the state could take over the District’s finances and program decisions.”
Also pressing are negotiations with the union, Valley of the Moon Teachers Association. Teachers are working without a contract. The negotiating teams are currently in mediation, next meeting October 1.
Another crisis is due to the decline in student population, which dropped from 5100 in 1999 to 3194 in spring 2024, a 44% decline. Many fewer students inevitably means schools closure. In 2023 the Board of Trustees closed Dunbar Elementary school. A School Consolidation Committee, comprised of 15 local citizens who have been contributing their time since last December, plus three advisors (fire, police and City), will make a report and recommendation to the Board in October, probably for the closure of two sites: another elementary site and a middle school.
Why the decline? The prohibitive cost of housing is often cited as the reason young families can’t afford to live here, and that certainly is a factor in the declining school enrollment. It should be noted however that working class families do live here, mostly in the Springs, renting, paying up to half of their income in rent; living in tight situations, often two or more families sharing, despite working several jobs. All this to support the dream of high school and college for their children – the reason they came to this country. This is reflected in the 65% majority of Latino students in our schools.
Another critical issue, although not susceptible to quick resolution, is the fact that our students do not meet state standards. Other County districts with similar demographics have higher outcomes, so the poor outcomes of SVUSD students remain a puzzle, but one that must be solved.
It is the Superintendent’s hope that the current Board of Trustees, who have overseen all the steps leading to a decision about school closure, make the decision before the Board changes in December.
This is a moment to support the people who are engaged in resolving the current complex issues – the School Consolidation Committee, the Superintendent, the Board of Trustees, the negotiating teams for the District and the union. They will have to make difficult, painful decisions. Difficult budgetary decisions, difficult school closure decisions, difficult contract decisions.
We hope that when addressing school closure, they recognize the reality that the majority of SVUSD students are the children of the workforce that is underpinning our local community – the wine industry, tourism and hospitality, and cleaning our homes and businesses, tending our gardens, building the new houses. The majority of these students live on the westside. It is our hope that the schools that remain open will be where the most students live.
