School Board Votes to Close Prestwood

By Anna Pier 

Trustees of the Sonoma Valley Unified School Board met in Special Session Tuesday, September 23 in the City Council Chambers, 177 First Street West, at 5:00 pm. The Agenda was limited to continued discussion of elementary school consolidation, and a vote on Resolution 26-07, in which the Trustees could name the elementary site to be closed at the end of the 2025-26 school year. The Resolution is the first step in the process; it triggers a CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) study, and the creation of a detailed transition plan; both will be presented at the next regular meeting of the Board of Trustees on October 9. The Resolution was approved by a 4-0 vote; Trustee Anne Ching, representing Area 5 where Prestwood School is located, was unable to remain at the meeting after discussion for the vote due to medical reasons. At the October meeting the Trustees are expected to make a final vote on the Resolution.  

Probably due to the inconvenient time for parents, and confusion about the actual date of this Special Session, there was a smaller than usual public turnout for such an important meeting. September 23 was Rosh Hashanah, and the Trustees had attempted unsuccessfully to find a mutually agreeable alternate date, out of respect for the Jewish holiday.   

After brief public comment, including Zoom comments, Trustees heard a presentation by Acting Superintendent Rena Seifts of materials she had gathered at the Trustees’ request on Elementary School Consolidation. The information was updated since the September 11 Board meeting

to include summaries of recent community input, of the September 18 Community Forum on Consolidation, and summarized arguments both for and against Consolidation.  

The Trustees’ deliberations began with the question of whether it was necessary to consolidate – i.e. close a school and place its students in the remaining three elementaries. The Unaudited Actual Budget for 2024-25 was, for the first time in over ten years, not negative, and this gave rise to consideration in the September 11 meeting, and in the subsequent Community Forum, that perhaps consolidation was not necessary at

this time. But Superintendent Seifts asserted that the only way to make drastic cuts in the budget for upcoming years was consolidation, which she stated provides $1 Million-plus in annual  savings. Trustee Jason Lehman pointed out that he and Trustee David Bell ran on a commitment to get things right financially. In a subsequent comment, Trustee Lehman affirmed ,”It’s our duty to offer the best education we can, and we can do that with three elementary schools.” 

Trustee Bell, who represents Area 4, the Sassarini area, spoke bluntly to the many supporters of Prestwood School who have been urging no closure of any school. “You are late to the game,” he asserted, “only speaking up when your school was being considered for closure.”  

Trustee Guzman, who represents Area 2, the Springs, brought attention to the California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s Guidelines, from April 2023,  regarding school districts’ legal obligations and best practices when considering school closures, including mergers, and consolidations. (“Guidance Regarding Laws Governing School Closures and Best Practices for Implementation in California”). Guzman affirmed that the Attorney General’s (AG’s) “overarching theme is anti-discrimination and equity.” He added that the focus of the Guideline is on “mitigation for future harm and correction of past harms.” Guzman continued, “We’ve got lost in the weeds,” as people parse, evaluate and prioritize one by one the nine criteria included in the AG’s letter. “All the criteria are to be considered through the lens of anti-discrimination and equity. Let’s not keep delving into the minutiae of facility quality.” 

Board President Catarina Landry read a long statement which she had been working on since the September 11 meeting. Acknowledging that she had been affected by the fear of disappointing people, Landry asserted “delaying a decision is not leadership,” adding “Waiting won’t heal, it only divides us further.” She continued, describing consolidation as being about more support and resources for all students to thrive, affirming “one community, serving all our students.” Observing that division within the community has been even deeper since the September 11 meeting,” she asserted that “moving forward with clarity is the only way to act.” Her statement was greeted by a round of applause in the audience.  

Before she left the meeting Trustee Ching distributed a packet of information to the Board, and stated her view that Prestwood and El Verano are the best candidates to keep open. She also stated that she would not have voted in any event because it was not a regular meeting, and because of Rosh Hashanah.  Trustee Bell later said that the information Trustee Ching provided comes too late, opening a can of worms requiring weighing Sassarini and Flowery against each other; from his perspective, is counterproductive. 

Trustee Bell pointed out that in response to his request for information regarding where the student population lives, District staff had provided the rough figures that 100 kids live East of Broadway, and 300 live to the West. In the ongoing discussion, Trustee Lehman stated that so much attention to fiscal problems has distracted the staff, as we have sought guidance from them, from focusing on what is really important, how to achieve the better outcomes. “If we can get a decision made, we can go forward to help our students”  have the best outcomes, including graduation and preparation for the future. 

The vote to adopt the resolution to close Prestwood, subject to the transition plan and CEQA report, was approved by the four trustees present. Trustees will make a final vote at the October 9 meeting of the Board.