This letter was sent to the four SVUSD Trustees who voted to relocate Flowery School.
May 15, 2025
Dear Trustee [Name],
We, the staff of Flowery School, respectfully request responses to the following questions regarding the proposed relocation of Flowery and the future of our Dual Immersion Program.
- How does the board interpret Resolution 25-23, which charged trustees to “select the elementary school for closure on or before May 8, 2025”? Instead, Flowery was identified for relocation without naming a school to close. What was the rationale for delaying the closure decision? This approach has left Flowery without a destination, and the other elementary schools without the “closure, resolution, [and] direction” Trustee Lehman said people have been requesting.
- How can a meaningful traffic analysis be conducted without knowing where Flowery students and staff will be relocated?
- What is the rationale for displacing students from Dunbar, Flowery, and a third yet-to-be-named school? Why does minimizing the number of students and families impacted by school closures not appear to be a district priority?
- How will the district mitigate potential tension and community division resulting from closing a school and relocating the Dual Immersion Program there?
- When will the Dual Immersion Advisory Council be convened to discuss consolidation, as well as the current state and future of Flowery and the K-8 Dual Immersion Program?
- Why was the Flowery portion of the Facilities Master Plan not fully implemented?
- Will the 4Cs Flowery Preschool have to find a new location?
- How will the district compensate the Flowery PTO for the playground structures it purchased, and will those structures be relocated to the new site?
- What is the timeline for:
– Sharing a transition plan?
– Finalizing the boundary adjustment?
– Completing the CEQA review?
- How will the district assess and acknowledge the loss of longstanding partnerships between Flowery and local nonprofits and businesses?
- Has an Equity Impact Analysis been completed? If not, when will it be conducted?
- When and how will Flowery students, families, and staff be invited to provide input on potential consolidation options to be considered by the board?
- What steps will the district take to minimize traffic congestion resulting from relocating Flowery? How will Springs families without transportation be supported in attending school events?
- Will additional buses or drivers be needed, and how will this impact district transportation resources?
- Once a destination for Flowery has been determined, what is the plan for engaging students, families, and staff in the transition process?
- What does the district plan to do with the Flowery campus if the Dual Immersion Program is relocated?
- If new information arises, is the board willing to revisit its decision to close Flowery?
We ask that you provide answers to our questions before making any further decisions regarding the future of Flowery School. Thank you for your time and attention. We look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
The Entire Staff of Flowery School
Signed:
- Justina Montano, Academic Specialist
- Paula Salazar-Sartín, Counselor
- Raquel de Gonzalo, School Psychologist
- Christi Vieira de Curiel, Ed. Specialist
- Celene Farías Cardona, Special Ed. Instructional Assistant
- Lucia Chávez-Goodman, Intervention Teacher
- Laurie Pappas, Speech-Language Pathologist
- Jessica Clark, Speech-Language Pathologist
- Esmeralda Barón, Special Ed. Instructional Assistant
- Mara Irvin, TK Teacher
- Jeanine Breslin, TK Instructional Assistant
- Katie Carlson, Kindergarten Teacher
- Vanessa Chávez-Quiñonez, Kindergarten Teacher
- Anastacia Rodriguez Huerta, Kindergarten Teacher
- Juan Carlos Balandrán, 1st Grade Teacher
- Debora Ríos, 1st Grade Teacher
- Lilia García Sánchez, 2nd Grade Teacher
- Heidy Garibay, 2nd Grade Teacher
- Alanna Johnston, 2nd Grade Teacher
- Juana De Anda, 3rd Grade Teacher
- Jacqueline Echeverría Cab, 3rd Grade Teacher
- Elena Ingram, 3rd Grade Teacher
- Lydia Calderón, 4th Grade Teacher
- Brenda Morales, 4th Grade Teacher
- Jessica Coffey, 5th Grade Teacher
- Lara Shumer, 5th Grade Teacher
- Karina Rubio, Office Manager
- Laura Hernandez, School Community Liaison
- Alejandra Flores Garcia, Health Assistant
- Sara Lake, Library Media Specialist
- Brooke Cheeseman, Mentoring Alliance
- Genesis Botello, Paraprofessional Special Ed.
- Jena Medeiros, Paraprofessional Special Ed.
- Carolina Ávila, Instructional Assistant
- Melva Bautista Hernandez, Instructional Assistant
- Adriana Velásquez Soto, Instructional Assistant
- Irma Alvarado, Kitchen Manager
- Alma González, Food Service Assistant
- Rosa Janet Méndez, Campus Supervisor
- Juana Madrigal, Campus Supervisor
- Edith Genchi De Avalos, Crossing Guard
- José Deharo, Senior Custodian
- José Diaz, Custodian
It will be a mistake to close this school, the entire community of Sonoma will be affected in many ways, most of them negative.
In listening to the board and staff at the meeting they seem to think they do not have to do an equity impact analysis. They seem to think they have done everything they need to do by law concerning this. I and many others disagree.