The Santa Rosa School Closure Advisory Committee held a contentious meeting Friday night, where they began to discuss which schools they may recommend for closure.
While there was a consensus that Santa Rosa Middle School is the most likely middle school to close, the committee struggled to rank elementary and high schools. The committee also debated the potential impacts of closures on students, particularly English Language Learners and special education students.
The committee will reconvene on January 27th to finalize their recommendations for the school board, which will ultimately decide which schools to close.
The meeting also sparked controversy over transparency.
The committee divided into small groups for discussions, excluding the public and members of the press from their conversations. This raised concerns about potential violations of the Brown Act, a state law requiring open and transparent public meetings.
Despite concerns from attendees and the press, district officials defended the format, citing logistical challenges and concerns for committee member safety due to recent threats.
