School districts all across California have been dealing with a major budget crisis this year. (CalMatters has a good story on why.) And it’s no different here in wine country. The board of trustees for Napa County’s largest school district, Napa Valley Unified, just axed 35 employees at a whopper of a meeting on Thursday, according to the Press Democrat. The school system in Sonoma County is feeling the burn, too. The county’s largest district, Santa Rosa City Schools — reportedly facing a $20 million budget shortfall — recently decided to shut down three elementary schools and three middle schools over the next two years. (The plan is to move seventh and eighth grade classes to nearby high schools.) Santa Rosa’s school board also just removed the popular principals of Elsie Allen and Maria Carrillo high schools from their posts, as another facet of this massive reshuffling — inspiring big, emotional protests and walkouts over the past week. Schools in Sonoma Valley and Petaluma are facing some especially painful cuts as well.
PD reporters have been covering the local school-budget saga like dogs with a bone; you can find a helpful roundup here of what’s happening at each district in Sonoma County, and a full archive here of their excellent coverage of school closures and layoffs across the North Bay.
And now, on top of state funding cuts to education, federal funding cuts could be on the horizon, if Trump — oops, sorry, mentioned him again! — makes good on threats to withhold U.S. Department of Education funds from any schools that don’t shut down their “woke” diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs. (And if a new lawsuit filed by the he American Federation of Teachers and the American Sociological Association fails to stop him.) Meanwhile, ed leaders in Sonoma and Napa counties have vowed not to shut down any DEI programs, no matter what Trump says or does. Here’s what the impact could be: The PD has previously reported that “just shy of $15 million in federal funds feeds into Sonoma County, passed through the California Department of Education… toward five main program areas supporting student achievement, effective instruction, English-language learners, students who are immigrants and educational tools for success.” Hang in there, everybody…
Note from Simone: This piece originally appeared in the weekly email newsletter I write for the Bohemian, called Wine Country Today. Subscribe here!
