The Santa Rosa City Schools district has several pathways toward unifying nine smaller districts. All of the nine feeder districts could support the plan. Another option is Santa Rosa City Schools submitting a petition to the state, signed by a quarter of all registered voters who live in the area that would become the new unified district. The third option is Santa Rosa City Schools asking for help from an elected official, who would give the district’s petition to the state on its behalf. An audit studying the proposed merger was discussed by the Santa Rosa City Schools Board on Wednesday. It says the new consolidated district would slash up to 45-million-dollars in expenses during its first year. But, the new district would also immediately lose 21-point-three-million-dollars in revenue from grants and property tax funding that would go away.
Superintendent Anna Trunnell spoke with KSRO’s Daniel Trucios and Larry Olson regarding this proposed merger.