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Alexis Madrigal: Welcome to Forum. I’m Alexis Madrigal. People are used to hearing about challenges facing big urban school districts. Oakland was in state receivership for more than twenty years beginning in the early 2000s, and San Francisco’s school problems have received a huge amount of attention locally and nationally. But the truth is that many school districts are in trouble, including smaller ones like Santa Rosa in Sonoma County.
Here to fill us in on what’s going on up there is Adriana Gutierrez, an education and child welfare reporter for the Press Democrat in Santa Rosa. Welcome.
Adriana Gutierrez: Thanks for having me.
Alexis Madrigal: So what’s going on with the school district up there? Give us a bit of the budget background.
Adriana Gutierrez: Sure. They’ve had budget issues for probably the last decade, especially in the last five years. Over the past year, things really came to a head. The district’s financial situation became so dire that it was on the verge of entering state receivership, which is when California essentially takes control of a district for up to a decade.
They’ve managed to avoid that for now through massive cuts, including significant school closures—six schools in two years—and the layoff of about 270 staff members over that same period, with possibly more to come.
Alexis Madrigal: Wow. What are the main factors here? Is it mostly fewer students—since funding is tied to enrollment—or is it more about spending?
Adriana Gutierrez: It’s both. Like many districts in California, Santa Rosa City Schools is experiencing declining enrollment. They’ve lost about 3,000 students over the past decade and now serve just under 12,000 students, down from about 15,000. Since enrollment drives revenue, that’s a major loss.
At the same time, they’ve struggled to control expenditures, especially staffing costs. After the pandemic, districts received a surge of funding to support academics and mental health, which led to hiring more staff. But when that one-time funding ran out, they were left with costs they couldn’t sustain. So now expenditures far outpace declining revenues, creating a structural deficit.
Alexis Madrigal: Do we know why enrollment has declined specifically in Santa Rosa?
Adriana Gutierrez: There are several factors. Statewide, demographics are shifting—families are having fewer children. Locally, COVID played a role, but even before that, there were devastating wildfires, including the Tubbs Fire, which displaced many families.
More recently, in 2023, a student was fatally stabbed on a Santa Rosa City Schools campus. That sparked major concerns about safety and led some families to leave the district.
Alexis Madrigal: What about rising costs? Sonoma County is expensive. Is this partly a situation where districts have to pay more to retain teachers?
Adriana Gutierrez: That’s definitely part of the conversation. Sonoma County is one of the most expensive places to live, and teachers say they should be paid more. Even Michael Fine, CEO of the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT), has said that.
But the issue is sustainability. If a district agrees to salary increases it can’t afford long term, that’s when financial problems arise.
Alexis Madrigal: What has district leadership said over the years about managing the budget?
Adriana Gutierrez: There’s been a lot of turnover. Every few years, leadership attempts to address the budget. Before I started covering the district in 2023, they had already made a round of cuts, and then the following year, they laid off about 90 staff members in anticipation of worsening conditions.
The problem has been sustaining those cuts. When the district receives temporary funding increases—like cost-of-living adjustments—they sometimes restore positions, only to face deficits again later. The current board president says they’re trying to break that cycle by making cuts and sticking to them.
Alexis Madrigal: Some of your reporting suggests there were also technical challenges—like projecting enrollment or forecasting state funding. Do you think this was more about those issues, or about reluctance to make difficult cuts?
Adriana Gutierrez: District leaders have acknowledged both. The interim superintendent, Lisa August, frequently says these cuts are painful. But with the real threat of state receivership—where leadership could be replaced—they’ve recognized the urgency of making and sustaining tough decisions.
Alexis Madrigal: In other districts, people often point to rising administrative costs. Has that been an issue here?
Adriana Gutierrez: Yes, that’s been a point of contention. The teachers union has been vocal about administrative salaries. That said, Santa Rosa’s leadership compensation isn’t unusually high compared to other districts in the county—some smaller districts actually pay more because administrators take on multiple roles.
Still, the district has reduced central office staff. This year, about ten positions were cut as part of roughly 170 layoffs.
Alexis Madrigal: Are Santa Rosa’s problems unique, or are they representative of a broader trend?
Adriana Gutierrez: It’s a mix. Some factors are specific—like wildfires and local decisions—but others reflect broader issues. One example is pandemic-era funding. Districts were encouraged to use one-time federal money to hire staff and expand services, which Santa Rosa did.
But that funding wasn’t permanent, and once it disappeared, districts were left with costs they couldn’t sustain. So you see both external pressures and internal missteps.
Alexis Madrigal: We’re talking about the budget crisis facing Bay Area public schools, starting with Santa Rosa. Our guest is Adriana Gutierrez, education and child welfare reporter for the Press Democrat.
We also want to hear from you. Have you been affected by school closures? How do you think your local district is managing its budget? Give us a call at 866-733-6786. That’s 866-733-6786. You can also email forum@kqed.org or find us on social media.
I’m Alexis Madrigal. Stay tuned.
