Community Forum To Be Held on Elementary School Consolidation

The idea for convening a Community Forum was born out of a concern that the community – parents, teachers and other staff, and residents – have not been given an opportunity for meaningful input on the consolidation decision in a non-confrontational manner. 

The Forum will take place on Thursday, September 18 from 6-8 PM at the in Rm 110 at the Community Center. 

At the Forum, attendees will initially break into small groups for discussion focusing around five questions primarily relating to what criteria and factors the Board should be using in their decision making. This is not to indicate which school should be closed.  At the outset of the breakout session, each group will select their own chair/facilitator and note taker. At the conclusion of the breakout session, about one hour, the note taker from each group will report back to the entire audience the results of their discussion.

The next part will be a town hall meeting-like forum, when all attendees will be given the opportunity to share their thoughts and opinions on topics not covered by the breakout discussions.  All of these results will be recorded in real time and projected onto a screen visible to everyone, assuring the audience that their feedback has been recorded accurately. Finally, these notes will be shared with the Board of Trustees at their next meeting on September 23rd or other date TBD.   

The Community Forum will be facilitated by Richard Preiss, a resident of Sonoma, and an experienced community and urban planner. Richard has led such Forums on multiple occasions in the past. The entire Forum will be concluded within two hours.