November 2: Nemaha USD 115, Kansas & Mequon-Thiensville School District, Wisconsin, What's on my ballot? Im pretty frustrated and embarrassed, Lewis said. This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone. This school district is outside of that coverage scope and does not receive . This column is about the story behind the story, a place to shine a light on who we are, what makes us a community and all of the things that make us special. I believe that a solid public education for all of our youth is one of the best ways to ensure a healthy, thriving society. 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 . 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. But representation for the more remote regions of the district, by a current resident, continues to be a sticking point. I always have a line item in my budget for this because you never know when its going to come, he said. 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. Dana Pederson, superintendent of the Guerneville School District, said comparing employee contracts, benefits packages and seniority scales alone could prove complicated. 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. West County High School will return to being called Analy High School as early as next year after officials ended a rebranding effort that arose from a controversial consolidation with El Molino High School in Forestville. How to vote | No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy: Analy and El Molino high schools merged earlier this year. The West Sonoma County Union High School Board of Trustees appointed Sebastopol resident Patrick Nagle as a new trustee at a special meeting Wednesday night. She taught at Analy High School for 17 years. The consolidation was proposed last year as a potential solution to the districts projected $1.2 million structural deficit. On Friday, an email to parents by Cloverdale Unified School Districts new superintendent, Steve Jorgensen, announced Ferdinandson will be the next principal at Washington Middle School. EDITORS NOTE: This story has been updated to correct the date Nagles term on the school board expires. But another motivation exists, Ame Nultemeier said: to let the school board members know the community is dissatisfied with their decisions, and that the voters are willing to do something about it. The study is likely to examine the feasibility, and financial and academic ramifications, of any combination of the 11 districts, ranging from mergers of two districts to all 11. This is not where we want to be.. Board member Angie Lewis dissented following a discussion that lasted nearly two hours and reflected the tumultuous year of protests, lawsuits and recall efforts in response to the consolidation. I question the savings if you do that.. Continue to develop supports for students, staff and families so that students flourish academically, socially and emotionally. Sonoma County has 40 K-12 school districts: 31 elementary, 3 high school, and 6 unified. 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. Ballotpedia features 407,502 encyclopedic articles written and curated by our professional staff of editors, writers, and researchers. Learning is a transformative experience. . West Sonoma County High School District 462 Johnson Street, Sebastopol, CA 95472 (707) 824-6403 | Fax: (707) 824-6499 www.wscuhsd.org School District County Category Phase Application No./Site Name; . 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) Board of Trustees, the board that oversees Analy, El Molino and Laguna high schools. (707) 824-2300 | Fax: (707) 827-7936 Opponents contended the spot should have been filled by someone who represents rural western Sonoma County. We will remove any comments or commenters that do not follow this commenting policy. My name is Josh, and Im out here collecting signatures for the recall against the board members who voted to close our high school.. Thank you for your support! Districtwide, the student population fell nearly 12% over the past five years and about 32% since 1981. 15th Annual Sonoma County Transition Fair, Notice of Public Hearing - Wed, June 15th 5:00 pm, MAP OPTIONS FOR CVRA TRANSITION FROM AT-LARGE TO BY-TRUSTEE AREA ELECTIONS, New System of Electing Governing Board Members, West Sonoma County Union High School District. The board broached the topic of consolidation by the 2021-2022 school year last fall. Schools . California schools, while required to follow many statutory practices, also have a great deal of leeway in the form of "Local Control." While the circumstances driving the division in the west county may be unique, frustrated residents turning to recalls as a political tool is not. His term will run through December 2022. [1], Noe also said, Were trying to make the best of an awful situation and make sure that our kids have sports, our kids have music, that our kids have art. Nagle confirmed that while he was a member of the superintendents budget committee last year, he came to support the idea of consolidating the two high schools. Menu . Troy Flint, public information officer for the California School Boards Association, said his organization is aware of an unprecedented number of recall efforts unfolding against school board members across the state. 6950 Analy Avenue, Sebastopol, CA 95472 Our board members are very attuned to this discussion. West Sonoma County Union High School District News , Find Us . West Sonoma County Union High School District is looking for an Administrative Assistant for the Special Education Consortium. www.wscuhsd.org/o/analy, Laguna High School (9-12, Continuation) EMAILS can be sent to: JEANNE FERNANDES, President, Board of Trustees jfernandes@wscuhsd.org Each community that has a high school will get the additional changes of either reduced student presence OR - increased traffic. "I do hope that its the case that they dont run, she said. See more news athttp://www.sonomawest.com/. 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. But area families have come to expect options as well as intimate involvement in school programming, Rose said. I havent had the opportunity to prove myself as to whether or not I represent their interests, he said. [3] 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. Cities | And the results may look different for different districts, Herrington said. Aiello is a recently retired public school teacher, who taught for 34 years. The school board interviewed all three men in a round-robin format, asking the same five questions to each. Therefore, talk of cost-cutting or cost-saving moves likely goes straight to staffing. Ive worked really hard for the last 15 years of my life in a position that is, for all intents and purposes, volunteer and have always dedicated my time to whats best for kids, and its just kind of heartbreaking to think that people really feel like I have bad intentions because thats not true at all, Noe 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. No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. However, she said the board would need to think creatively and explore the feasibility study on consolidating districts. I am saddened, however, by the hostile and negative statements that have been directed at board members. UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy: Analy High School and El Molino High School consolidated. 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. Elementary districts "feed" into high school or unified districts. We said so many times, If you could just work with your community and find solutions together and create a budget that works for all of us, we would drop everything, she said. [3] The effort against Noe and Fernandes did not collect enough signatures. Gleeson worked for 10 years as a public health nurse in communicable diseases, according to earlier reporting by Sonoma West Times & News. Emails were sent to parents and I think its important for everyone to understand that, Pederson said. West Sonoma County Consortium7050 Covey Rd.Forestville, CA 95436Phone: 707-824-7911Fax: 707-634-7413rvelasquez@wscuhsd.org. With your help, I'll be tackling the questions that vex us: (the funny, the mundane,andthe irritating.). Elections in 2023 | In her closing comments, Lewis noted she attended Analy but criticized Analy alumnis insistence that their alma maters name be retained, stressing that a name doesnt affect the quality of a school. You can reach Staff Writer Colin Atagi at colin.atagi@pressdemocrat.com. Only 36,035 people, about 12% of the countys more than 300,000 registered voters, are eligible to weigh in on the recall question against the West Sonoma County Union High School District school board members, said Deva Proto, Sonoma County registrar of voters. Ferdinandson started at the district in 2000 as an English teacher and in 2021 became principal of the school, which had just been renamed West County High School in an attempt to rebrand it after its merger with El Molino High School. Yet, OConnor said he thinks the board needs to face the reality that budget cuts that reduce services might have to happen and that the board must consult the community or face conflict. In Fall 2021, the Analy High School and El Molino High School consolidated to address a growing budget deficit, which the district blamed on declining enrollment and not enough state funding to meet costs of both schools. 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.. Phone: 707-824-6403, Fax: 707-823-2629. I have solid background in the classroom. This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone. A demographers report will help determine where the boundary lines will fall. The study will include all 10 districts that feed into the West County high school district: Fort Ross, Montgomery, Guerneville, Monte Rio, Forestville, Harmony, Oak Grove, Sebastopol, Twin Hills and Gravenstein. Board President Kellie Noe conceded she was disappointed with the process and said it only left the community more divided. This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone. 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. I had the good fortune to work with and learn from some very skilled administrators and take part in professional development opportunities which will allow me to serve the community well on the high school board now. West Sonoma County Union High School District is a school district in California . 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 . Board Agendas COVID-19 Information . The board members targeted in the recall Board President Kellie Noe, Vice President Jeanne Fernandes and Trustee Laurie Fadave say the recall is an expensive and ineffective solution, costing the school district potentially over $100,000 to hold an unscheduled election just months before three seats, including Noes and Fernandes, go up for reelection next November. The vote directs Sonoma County Superintendent of Schools Steve Herrington to begin the process of hiring a firm to conduct the study, which Herrington estimates could take as long as a year to complete. Sonoma County lost slightly more than 5% of its enrollment between 2016-17 and last school year, according to School Services of California. 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. Districts with adjoining boundaries may serve vastly different populations and have differing funding models because of those population differences. A study asking the same question in 2006 found that combining the 11 districts would save at least $200,000 a year, but those findings are moot now in part because the structure of school funding was radically shifted in 2013, calling into question the financial benefit for some to merge. Enrollment was falling at both Analy and El Molino high schools, and fluctuating at Laguna High School, the districts continuation school. State legislature | Recalling the three board members who voted in March to advance the consolidation, those advocates say, could give communities along the Russian River whose residents long attended El Molino the opportunity to swap in new trustees who could vote to reverse the consolidation in favor of other budget solutions. Where that really comes into play is you have 20 different bargaining agreements. [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. Or will it help students? The quicker we can get them out of their seats, the better.. Around 40 members of the public commented during the meeting. Its seat of government and largest city is Santa Rosa. The group has until Aug. 28 to turn in all collected signatures. Recall supporters had 120 days to collect signatures equal to 20% of registered voters in the school district, a total of 7,187 signatures. Both seats are four-year terms (2021-2024). For many districts, salary and benefits packages can account for between 80% and 85% of a districts budget. This article was produced by Sonoma West Times & News, the hometown newspaper of Sebastopol and west county since 1889. Long-term fiscal perspective to ensure students a rich educational experience and protect jobs even with unpredictability of state funding. [1] The plan to consolidate the two schools was initially given conditional approval on November 30, 2020, pending the results of two tax measures that were on the ballot on March 2, 2021. Nagle said he was disappointed to hear talk of recalling him within hours of his appointment. But at the point in the process that were at, our deadline is only three weeks away. But a segment of the community, including Mimi Buttke, dont want to wait until then. | Ethically, its probably been harder for me than anybody else on the board, she said. "I am concerned with equal representation, she said. Whats worse, an opportunity to bring the community together by empowering a rural voice on the Board was missed. You can reach Staff Writer Alana Minkler at 707-526-8531 or alana.minkler@pressdemocrat.com. 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. Gravenstein Union School District Superintendent Dave Rose said he wasnt surprised by the high school districts move. WEST SONOMA COUNTY UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT Board Meeting A Public Hearing will be held for the Proposed LCAP and Budget Wednesday, June 15, 2022 at 5:. Fadave is a retired teacher of 40 years across high school and higher education. It is important for the new school board to work diligently with school administration and community stakeholders to identify ways to balance the budget while also aligning with community values and priorities. West Sonoma County Union High School District . 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. 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. Recall supporters submitted petitions by the deadline, but the Sonoma County Registrar of Voters found that only 3,084 signatures had been submitted, which ended the recall effort. Julie Aiello, the only trustee to vote against Nagles appointment, raised that concern before the vote. [1], Noe said the recall effort was heartbraking and disappointing. The school district was spending more money than it was bringing in. 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. "I truly believe I can help bring the community back together, Nagle said. "Obviously it is a tough subject for anyone who has grown up around here, she said. This just means less money for kids.. No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. We will remove any comments or commenters that do not follow this commenting policy. a Sonoma County Superior Court judge ruled. I think I have the ability to listen and work with all kinds of different people.. What would the pros and cons be for each district? West Sonoma County High School District They needed at least 7,187 valid signatures from registered voters in the school district but had only collected 3,084 signatures for a recall, Sonoma County Clerk and Registrar of Voters Deva Proto said in August. West Sonoma County School Board Meeting 8-25-21 (Screenshot from livestream). Im not here to weigh in on what I think is better or best. State and local courts | At the next school board meeting, Noe, Fernandes and Fadave voted in favor of consolidation. She assisted with communicable disease follow-ups then, and now has concerns about the quality of distance education and containing COVID-19 transmission when schools reopen, her paid candidate statement said. To the recall organizers, if they managed to replace the board members with like-minded candidates, that time frame could be critical to achieving their goals. Menu . CLOSE OUT 51/75432-00-001 . community member, retired teacher Small Business Owner . Sometimes, were just trying to figure things out. Atagi at colin.atagi @ pressdemocrat.com always have a line item in my budget this.: Analy High school for 17 years said the recall effort was heartbraking and disappointing school for years... 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