Santa Rosa City Schools officials have declared a major financial comeback, certifying the district’s budget as “positive” for the first time in years.
According to the Press Democrat, this upgrade suggests the district is finally on track to avoid a state takeover, a dramatic shift for a system recently labeled as having the state’s worst cash crisis. The turnaround follows a grueling year of over 100 layoffs, the closure of six campuses, and millions in deep program cuts.
While trustees celebrated the milestone as a testament to their fiscal recovery plan, the local teachers’ union remains skeptical, calling the move “creative accounting” and a “house of cards.” Despite the improved rating, the district barely met its reserve requirements and must still gain final approval from the County Office of Education by mid-April.
For now, the board has vowed to stay the course, narrowly defeating a last-minute effort to save Steele Lane Elementary from its scheduled closure this spring.
