Gavin Newsom and District Attorney Jill Ravitch. But I have to stand by the fact that I feel we have to do whats in the best interest of the kids, not alumni.[7], Before she resigned, Fadave said she understood where the recall supporters were coming from. On Twitter @ka_tornay. Board members Kellie Noe, Jeanne Fernandes, and Laurie Fadave were named in the notices of intent to recall. www.wscuhsd.org, Analy High School (9-12) It is to the north of Marin County and the south of Mendocino County.It is west of Napa and Lake Counties.. Sonoma County comprises the Santa Rosa-Petaluma Metropolitan Statistical . Today's graduates will need more than academic excellence to thrive in the 21st Century. Board Vice President Jeanne Fernandes, who nominated Nagle after the interviews concluded, pointed to his experience working with budgets as an important asset. The school districts financial woes only grew, though. State legislature | Responses from 1,148 of them showed 52% supported naming the school Analy and 32.1% wanted to call it West County. The three leaders have accepted positions at neighboring school districts, confirmed Julie Aiello, board president of West Sonoma County Union High School District. Being in the classrooms, being there, being a former Analy student, actually working at Analy was a really unique position to be in, Gleeson said. Sign In. Still, she backed the idea of fact-finding and expressed hope the study would examine the question of consolidation from a variety of perspectives, including whether merging would benefit the smaller districts. Im not here to weigh in on what I think is better or best. [1] [2] Fadave resigned in July 2021, citing personal reasons. Within 14 days of that certification, the school board would be required to issue an order of election, which would include setting a date for the election within 88 to 125 days. West County trustee Angie Lewis on Wednesday acknowledged the tension that accompanies any discussion of consolidation. Districtwide, the student population fell nearly 12% over the past five years and about 32% since 1981. The departures of Analy Principal Shauna Ferdinandson and vice principals Erin Elliott and Rachel Lasek come after they led the school through the controversial consolidation with El Molino High, a failed attempt at rebranding, a teachers strike, multiple fires and the pandemic. A group of vocal El Molino parents responded in April by filing a lawsuit in Sonoma County Superior Court challenging the validity of the consolidation process under the states bedrock environmental law; the court date for that case is set for Sept. 22. West Sonoma County Consortium7050 Covey Rd.Forestville, CA 95436Phone: 707-824-7911Fax: 707-634-7413rvelasquez@wscuhsd.org. 25, Idaho, Idaho Falls School District 91, Idaho (Elizabeth Cogliati), & Nampa School District, Idaho (Mike Kipp) While the circumstances driving the division in the west county may be unique, frustrated residents turning to recalls as a political tool is not. Ballot measures, Who represents me? An effort to recall three of the five members of the West Sonoma County Union High School District board of trustees did not go to a vote in 2021. Particularly now, what are they going to do in the future? [3] The effort against Noe and Fernandes did not collect enough signatures. Three female administrators who shepherded Analy High School in Sebastopol through tumultuous times over the last several years have announced their resignations and are taking positions at other schools. Some residents are skeptical, though. We started talking about this in the spring, but then COVID hit.. 2023 Elections . West Sonoma County UHSD. West Sonoma County Union High School District measure to levy $48.00 per parcel annually for three years be adopted, raising $1,150,000 . Opponents contended the spot should have been filled by someone who represents rural western Sonoma County. I havent had the opportunity to prove myself as to whether or not I represent their interests, he said. Her candidate statement reads that she supervised staff, worked with managers to carry out budgets and planned future staffing needs. State executives | My job is to help you make sense of K-12 education in Sonoma County and beyond. A contribution of any amount helps us reach more voters. I think its good the county is paying for the study.. But my hope is that this will subside and that we will have our kids back to school and that we will be able to have forums with teachers, parents, students, to be able to help make some decisions, she said, looking forward to connecting with students in person once schools could reopen. Talk of consolidation and merging can make people nervous that specialized programs would be lost, he said. But to what degree that would happen, and with what districts, are all questions officials throughout the west county area said only the study can answer. The interim Superintendent of the West Sonoma County Union High School District has resigned. This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone. The families of west county have had to endure more than their share of trauma over the last few years, Fadave said in a text message. My name is Josh, and Im out here collecting signatures for the recall against the board members who voted to close our high school.. I believe that a solid public education for all of our youth is one of the best ways to ensure a healthy, thriving society. Please see below the most current map options for WSCUHSD - Trustee Area Scenarios. Counties | 7050 Covey Road, Sebastopol, Sonoma 95436 Heading into the 2020-2021 school year, the West Sonoma County Union High School District was facing a structural deficit of $1.2 million, which would surpass $2 million if. Learning is a transformative experience. No off-topic remarks. But we also look to local schools to do much more than teach children; they are tasked with feeding them, socializing them and offering skills in leadership and civics. I understand the west county, I never left the west county other than when I was in the military, he said. Community members opposed the move over concerns about equity and impacts to students from rural communities along the Russian River. 6950 Analy Avenue, Sebastopol, CA 95472 For now, Nagle and some of his critics plan to meet and talk about things. In accordance with the provisions of Education Code Section 5323 and 5340-42, a consolidated governing board member election, is to be held in our district on Tuesday, November 3, 2020 and will be ordered . Schools . No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. Have a question that starts with, Whats the deal with? Lets figure it out together. Though the name West County High School is considered a placeholder name until the students decide on a permanent one during the upcoming school year, alterations to the Analy campus pushed many Sebastopol families to join the recall effort. Unified districts provide K-12 education. Schools . The seat was held by Laurie Fadave, who left in July. They all begin in July. Working with administrators, getting to know administrators, and then also working with administrators the last three years, with my foreign exchange students that Ive had either in my home or in other homes.. Search . West Sonoma County School Board Meeting 8-25-21 (Screenshot from livestream)The West Sonoma County Union High School District Board of Trustees will appoint a new member tonight. This would be the first local consolidation study undertaken since the state in 2013 adopted its Local Control Funding Formula model of doling out funds to schools. This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone. UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy: Analy and El Molino high schools merged earlier this year. Leadership changes can be challenging and unsettling, Aiello said. The West Sonoma County Union High School District Board of Trustees will appoint a new member tonight. Translate . West Sonoma County Union High School District Next. Board members Julie Aiello and Angie Lewis voted against it, and the motion passed in a 3-2 vote. Fadave said shed like to regularly meet with students to hear their ideas. UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy: The West Sonoma County Union High School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday voted unanimously to request a feasibility study examining the potential consolidation of the district and some or all of its 10 feeder districts. Herrington said his office remains at the ready if other district leaders make a similar request. You have to have an atmosphere where people feel the freedom to express themselves and ideas without judgement, and that we look at everything intellectually and that we put everything out on the table, and we discuss it, he said. Not only that, I think the study should look at what salary schedule you are putting all these new folks on. Throughout all of the hardships, shes been a really strong leader.. We need to talk about it.. The reality is we have to be able to look at everything, we have to be able to talk about everything, and not every conversation is a strategy to take something from someone, he said. But what may not be apparent in the study, those same officials said, are loyalties and connections forged over generations in some of the smaller districts. West Sonoma County Consortium News Sonoma Community Advistory Commitee In Person and Virtual En Persona y Virtual Tuesday April 25th 2023 6:00-8:00 pm 5860 Labath Ave, Rohnert Park, CA 94928 Zoom Link: https://sonomacoe.zoom.us/j/87354155941 . Districts with adjoining boundaries may serve vastly different populations and have differing funding models because of those population differences. The county office has $65,000 budgeted for such studies, he said. When students and school staff feel safe and respected, engagement grows and learning is improved. He said he views enrollment as more periodic and up-and-down than static or permanent since the board only knows the current situation and near-future projections. Candidates for the board of the West Sonoma County Union High School District include (clockwise from top left) Julie Aiello, Kyle O'Connor, Lynn Schallebaum Gleeson and Laurie Ann Fadave. The pandemic has really underscored the extent to which public schools are more than just education institutions, Flint said. My job is to help you make sense of K-12 education in Sonoma County and beyond. She taught at Analy High School for 17 years. He wanted to make sure programs such as music and drama were not cut, he said. He said he understands Analy alumnis attachment to their schools name, but students were supposed to have a new start after the merger. One of his main concerns was that people would form factions of administration, teachers, unions, parents and students, and refuse to work together. Tasha Mattison, one of the leaders of the recall committee, said that the board members unfairly favored Analy High School. And they also have concerns about their education, the value of it, she added. Overall, our goals are to get the board to revote and not close El Molino High School [or] if they are going to choose to consolidate to do it in a thoughtful, longer term process," Hayes said. Fernandes and Noe called the expense wasteful, in light of their plans to leave the board less than a year after any recall election would be held. For each of your districts you have probably two unions representing classified staff and certificated (teachers), she said. West Sonoma County High School District 462 Johnson Street, Sebastopol, CA 95472 (707) 824-6403 | Fax: (707) 824-6499 www.wscuhsd.org "I just felt that that was really a huge plus for our district, (that) being one of our greatest issues our budget, she said. The consolidation was proposed last year as a potential solution to the districts projected $1.2 million structural deficit. Both women said in interviews in early August that they dont plan on running to keep their positions when their terms expire next fall. It is more than simply the right thing to do, schools are obliged by law to create a school climate that is safe for all students. Board President Kellie Noe conceded she was disappointed with the process and said it only left the community more divided. "I truly believe I can help bring the community back together, Nagle said. Recall supporters had 120 days to collect signatures equal to 20% of registered voters in the school district, a total of 7,187 signatures. It would also require approval from voters. EDITORS NOTE: This story has been updated to correct the date Nagles term on the school board expires. Regardless of whether the recall is successful in west Sonoma County, the school district board is due for a shake-up with the November election. What would the pros and cons be for each district? At the next school board meeting, Noe, Fernandes and Fadave voted in favor of consolidation. Ame Nultemeier said she doesnt fully believe that the two most senior members of the school board will leave at the end of their terms. Further controversy arose in September when the board appointed Sebastopol resident Patrick Nagle to fill the vacancy. OConnor said he wanted committees of board members, parents, teachers and administrators to research independently but still have as much transparency to the public as possible. Elliott, who was Analys vice principal since 2019, will start as Apple Blossom Elementary Schools new principal on July 1 in the Twin Hills Union School District in Sebastopol, said their Superintendent Anna-Maria Guzman. Fadave said she was passionate about education as the foundation of society, and that schools needed to train future voters to think critically. Citizens of west county have the opportunity this election season to vote for two new members of the West Sonoma County Union High School District (WSCUHSD . Thank you to Jennifer Nix and to all of the families that parti 45-Day Update to the District Budget Based on the Final State Budget No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. 2020-21 Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan for West Sonoma County Union High School District Page 3 of 24 [A description of the options provided for remote participation in public meetings and public hearings.] To be clear, a feasibility study does not obligate anyone to consolidate, it doesnt obligate anyone to unify, West County Union High School District Superintendent Toni Beal said Wednesday. Will it save us money? So, I have training in how to read a budget, and I understand it. Joseph Steinberg, 17, a junior at Analy, said the news came as a total shock when his friend Eli McElroy, 17, had told him minutes before a Press Democrat interview. The West Sonoma County Union High School District has been operating with a structural deficit for a decade. [4][5], The recall effort began after the three board members voted on March 10, 2021, to approve a plan to consolidate Analy and El Molino high schools. The quicker we can get them out of their seats, the better.. If you are interested or know of someone who would like to work as an Administrative Assistant, please apply online: . We will remove any comments or commenters that do not follow this commenting policy. West Sonoma County Union High School District News , Find Us . Whether it spurs other districts, I dont know., You can reach Staff Writer Kerry Benefield at 707-526-8671 or kerry.benefield@pressdemocrat.com. No off-topic remarks. However, she said the board would need to think creatively and explore the feasibility study on consolidating districts. There is really no risk other than we are going to have information.. Nultemeier, who has worked for the Forestville Fire Department for 32 years, graduated from El Molino in 1991. California schools, while required to follow many statutory practices, also have a great deal of leeway in the form of "Local Control." She said the possibility of consolidating high schools had to be considered very carefully and she hopes to find ways to keep money in classrooms and restore vocational education classes to attract inter-district transfers rather than cut classes. Miss Ferdinandson is like a cornerpiece to our school and its going to be really strange without her, Steinberg said. I served on the Sebastopol Union school board from 2010 - 2019 while that district was facing many of the same issues that the West County High School district is currently facing. West Sonoma County Union High School District . As an Analy High graduate herself, Gleeson said she doesnt want to cut classes, but expand the courses and programs offered and increase enrollment. On Twitter @benefield, Have a story that is wild, wacky, bizarre or beautiful? Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 14_6 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/605.1.15 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/14.1.1 Mobile/15E148 Safari/604.1, At The Table with Clark Wolf Sat. Its a vote that, if the recall proponents are successful, could wind up costing the high school district anywhere from $90,000 to $160,000, according to an estimate provided by Proto, the county registrar. Emails were sent to parents and Sonoma County lost slightly more than 5% of its enrollment between 2016-17 and last school year, according to School Services of California. Fadave, who was elected to the school board only last November but taught at Analy for 17 years, said she understands where people are coming from in their desire to regain some sense of control by recalling her and the others. She also chastised her fellow trustees for falling back after so much progress had been made after the consolidation. They included Analy alumni who were determined to preserve their schools legacy, current staff and students who wanted to continue efforts to build a strong institution after the merger, and El Molino supporters who wanted to ensure their schools legacy wasnt forgotten. Elementary districts "feed" into high school or unified districts. Sometimes, were just trying to figure things out. (707) 824-6403 | Fax: (707) 824-6499 A parent of a 2020 El Molino graduate, he said he believes his experience in both the public and private sector prepared him to serve on the school board. I always have a line item in my budget for this because you never know when its going to come, he said. Back on Pajaro Lane, 20-year-old Ivan Garcia was signing the forms Josh Nultemeier had brought. More involvement in decision-making through committees and forums would give the public an opportunity to increase fundraising for the schools because they would be more aware of what was being cut and why, Aiello said. Lasek, Analys vice principal since 2021, will begin as vice principal and curriculum director at both Park Side School and Brook Haven Middle School in Sebastopol on July 1, said Sebastopol Union School District Superintendent Linda Irving. Several residents of the far west county, including Supervisor Lynda Hopkins, expressed discomfort and anger about Nagles appointment, citing the fact that all other board members are also from the Sebastopol area and stating Nagle supported the controversial consolidation of Analy and El Molino high schools last year. But a segment of the community, including Mimi Buttke, dont want to wait until then. She is hopeful that neighborhood blitz events like the one that brought Josh Nultemeier to Pajaro Lane and the several dozen locations where recall petitions are still available to sign will pan out in their favor. Noe and Fernandes echoed similar sentiments. I have solid background in the classroom. a Sonoma County Superior Court judge ruled. Its counterproductive.. Districts are now given money, as well as an increased level of spending freedom, based on a series of parameters including the percentage of low-income and socioeconomically disadvantaged students they serve. Let us be West County, she said. That perspective, though, is a breaking point for some residents who still aim to restore El Molino in the future. Aiello said she understands why teachers advocate for the things they advocate for, alongside her perspective as a parent of an Analy High School graduate. The West Sonoma County Union High School District (WSCUHSD) will have two seats open in November. You can reach Staff Writer Kaylee Tornay at 707-521-5250 or kaylee.tornay@pressdemocrat.com. West Sonoma County Union High School District is a school district in California . Ill answer the questions. Schallebaum Gleeson is a retired nurse who worked in classrooms with disabled and medically fragile students in special education. School officials proposed consolidation last fall as a potential solution to a $1.2 million annual structural budget deficit. Trustees were on the receiving end of criticism about their approach to rebranding, with several critics arguing it shouldve been pursued after and not before surveys were conducted to gauge the public and students positions. The school district was spending more money than it was bringing in. Sonoma County has the third-highest rate of declining enrollment in the state behind only Alpine and Los Angeles counties. 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