Mar ‘26 Board Meeting Field Notes
SVUSD Board Meeting — Field Notes
March 12, 2026 | Reported by Sonoma Schools Alliance
Attendance: Full board present, Superintendent Jason Sutter, district staff. Approximately 14 people in the room, including: co-presidents of the teachers union (VMTA), CSEA union president, Leslie the El Verano librarian, various district staff, 2 women from Climatec, and Leigh Cavalier a community observer.
Public Comments — Staff & Community Speakers
VMTA (Teachers Union) President — Laura Hoban
Addressed the charter school decision in strong terms: no plan, no money, 14 certified staff positions gone, and staff layoffs that harm students. Asked where the investments promised at closure are. Also highlighted student achievements: Model UN at the high school, a virtual Holocaust Remembrance Day tour, academic accomplishments, outdoor ed programs, and the high school art show.
CSEA (Classified Staff Union) President - John
Described a distressing time for classified staff who received layoff notices. Affirmed the union will step up to help members transition to the next chapter.
Student Board Representative
Spoke about the pride flag being taken down, saying it represents inclusivity and shouldn't require a fight to display. Also shared positive school news: prom venue secured for May, and many student accomplishments.
Chief [Cutting] — Campus Safety Report
Reported on an altercation involving three female students at the high school and how it was resolved. Addressed off-campus parking issues near the high school, including fine amounts for non-compliance with posted signs. Issued a safety warning about e-scooters following a serious accident in Santa Rosa, urging parents to be aware of the risks — especially for young riders without helmets.
Leslie Nicholson— El Verano School Librarian
Described the layoff climate as devastating to staff morale at El Verano. The school is being gutted, she said, and it is taking a significant toll on everyone there. What happens to students when you gut the staff.
Online Public Commenter
Requested more detailed data from the energy consultants so the community can better understand what is being proposed. Called for transparency in the decision-making process and the facts behind it.
CTE (Career Technical Education) Instructor - Wendy Swanson
Highlighted the Career Technical Education program at the high school, which offers students multiple career pathway tracks. Students earn both high school and college credits, interact with industry professionals, gain hands-on experience, and compete for internships that can lead to jobs. The program has grown by at least a third since last year. One notable success story: a student who went through the engineering pathway (since discontinued due to difficulty finding qualified instructors) went on to study engineering in college and is now pursuing a master's degree. CTE benefits K–12 students, community colleges, and regional employers.
Board Business Items
Second Interim Fiscal Report — Rena Seifs
Presented a detailed slide deck on the district's fiscal health. Key figure: total budget is approximately $55 million, with 80% allocated to staff and benefits. Reserve fund status was also discussed.
There has been a lot of discussion and speculation surrounding how this district spends its money, this slideshow is a great visual presentation that makes this information much more clear. It is well worth viewing.
LINK to Presentation: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1czzYTicF7F9vZmlevshNPfVk-mnP7u8s
Resolution 26-24: Developer Fee Rates
The board voted on increasing developer fee rates to help fund schools. David Bell was the only board member who wasn't in favor of the rate increase.
Artificial Intelligence Policy Discussion
Board member Ann Ching expressed concern and uncertainty about AI, questioning whether young students should be engaging with it. It was pointed out by a district staff member that AI is a reality in our lives, it has benefits on the one hand and dangers that are not completely fully understood currently. However it would be a disservice to students to not teach them to engage with this technology and understand its limitations and dangers.
After extended back-and-forth, another voice clarified that the board's role is to approve or reject implementation frameworks — the actual policy details are managed by district IT professionals and staff. Ching does not need to be a technical expert; she needs to trust the professionals.
Climatec — HVAC and Solar Panel Presentation
Representatives from the vendor Climatec presented options for swapping out aging HVAC systems, adding solar panels and repairing damage to the solar structure outside the high school. The board asked detailed, probing follow-up questions and pushed back significantly — spending considerably more scrutiny on this item than was applied to the charter school petition on the night it was approved. That contrast was striking. The board opted to continue discussion before making a final decision.
Public Comment — End of Meeting
A Community member and retired teacher, expressed disbelief that the charter petition was approved given the volume of unanswered questions that remain: the financing structure, the academic program details, and numerous other gaps that were never filled in on the night of the vote and still have not been addressed.
Leigh Cavalier challenged the board's stated commitment to student achievement, citing the Prestwood closure, a follow-on charter school draining district funds, and pink slips to two of three remaining elementary librarians as evidence the rhetoric doesn't match reality.
She called out President Bell and three of his fellow trustees, for repeatedly criticizing teachers and families over test scores while ignoring that scores have actually risen and that 66% of students come from Spanish-speaking homes, a pattern she called scapegoating that disproportionately harms the district's Latino community. On governance training, she noted the board declined free SCOE-funded training in favor of outside consultants with no verified qualifications, at cost to the same district now laying off credentialed educators. She closed by urging the board to listen to classroom educators who have been raising concerns since January 2025, and told any trustee not genuinely committed to student success to step aside for someone who is.
A Health assistant from Prestwood explained that the board wasn't well informed in what the health assistants do in the district. Eliminating health assistants doesn't just burden staff — it puts students at risk. The employees who would be left to handle student medical needs are not trained or qualified to do so. That is not a gap we can afford to fill with good intentions.