photo credit: Santa Rosa City Schools
Albert F. Biella Elementary School in Santa Rosa, which will close at the
end of the 2024-25 school year.

Santa Rosa City Schools is shaking up administrative leadership as the district starts to downsize for the next school year.

But the moves, haven't gone over smoothly.

The changes include reassignments and removals for various top administrators at different schools in the district.

In a recent message to parents, Santa Rosa Schools Board President Roxanne McNally said 331 district staff received preliminary layoff notices due to a March 15th state deadline.

Some of the top school administrators are being reassigned, like Tyler Ahlborn, who is returning to Montgomery High School as a vice principal.

The fate of others, like recently removed Maria Carillo Principal Amy Wiese remain uncertain.

The changes aren't sitting well with Santa Rosa Teachers Association President Kathryn Howell.

"At this time of real chaos, with the closures and the consolidation, the creation of 7-12 secondary schools, at the same time changing all of our site level administration is leaving teachers worried frankly about the ability of the district to pull off this transition," Howell said.

The district will close four schools for the 2025-26 school year, as it attempts to plug a $20 million dollar deficit.

Albert Biella and Brook Hill elementary schools, and Santa Rosa and Herbert Slater middle schools will be shuttered.

Steele Lane Elementary and Hilliard Comstock Middle School are scheduled to close in June 2026.

Howell said she's already seen some refusal to engage with the transition committee, and fears the recent moves may well exacerbate the situation.

"This 7-12 model is untried and untested and people are very unsure about it," Howell said. "To top that all off, the teachers are being told, 'here's your administrative team. These are the people you have to work with. You didn't have any input as to who these people are.'"

Santa Rosa teachers have held a no confidence vote in Superintendent Daisy Morales - though the action is purely symbolic.

District admin said the changes are needed to strengthen Santa Rosa's schools into the future, and they say they are committed to improving communication with parents and community members; and plan to return school resource officers to campuses in the district.