Auburn City Council addresses school district 'strife'

While the Auburn City Council has no jurisdiction over Auburn Union School District Board of Trustees business, council members had some input to share after receiving an update from district officials at their last meeting Feb. 26. Responding to the requests of many of her constituents, Auburn Mayor and district parent Rachel Radell-Harris invited AUSD officials to update the city council at the meeting. "It is my job to represent the community," Radell-Harris said. "Our community is very broken right now around this and there is a lot strife around this." AUSD Board President Greg Holt discussed the district's financial challenges and structural changes they have recently made. "It's been a big year with a lot of big feelings and we are still in the midst of historical changes in the district," Holt said. He discussed the district's declining enrollment, closure of Rock Creek Elementary School and Alta Vista Community Charter School and the board's decision to transition the three remaining campuses to TK-8. He said fewer than half of the students who live within district boundaries attend district schools. When discussing the TK-8 programs available next year, he said the district was focused on being competitive. "Three different school sites providing different opportunities for families and I think that can make us pretty competitive," Holt said. "We are going to keep working to provide different options and try to be competitive." After the presentation, Radell-Harris asked several "more direct questions," because, "How well our schools are doing really does have a big impact on Auburn," she said. She said she understood the principals were helping to plan the TK-8 programs next year, but Auburn Elementary's principal recently announced her intent to resign. "As far as developing the program, the board sets the direction and the district staff then works with the principals to help the site implementation," said Interim Superintendent Michelle Lucci Garcia, who is also leaving the district at the end of June. "The principals are planning, but they are planning with our team." "I am concerned about people creating a plan they don't have to live with because they are leaving their position," Radell-Harris said. "I was concerned with the transition, which is why I was recommending we hold off a year because we are getting a new superintendent and now we are getting a new principal." Several community members spoke up during public comment to detail their concerns and experience with the school district. Jackie Weston, CEO of the Auburn Chamber of Commerce, said she has received a lot of complaints from her memberships about the lack of answers for questions. "I've heard from four different businesses that they want to come into this area, but they are so unsure about the school system that they're not coming," Weston said. "I think we're in some kind of turmoil right now and we have to figure it out because we can't do our job to bring businesses and grow the city without a strong school board." Monika Peak, an Auburn Elementary School teacher and former Rock Creek Elementary teacher, shared her feelings with the council. "It was a rushed, wrong and racist decision to close Rock Creek School, and why the new board members made this rash decision with all the misinformation they were fed I'll never understand," Peak said. "They are giving us PTSD and making another huge decision with all three schools becoming a TK-8 in only five months. That will affect our whole community with a change that uproots families again two years in a row. Can we just take a breath and slow down?" After hearing from a number of concerned residents of Auburn, the council addressed the district. Councilwoman Sandy Amara, who served on the AUSD board earlier in her career, spoke directly to Holt and Trustee Jayson Wedge. "I implore the two of you to listen to your constituents and listen to your other board members," she said. "They are here today crying for help. You have to solve this. It's important to all these people and it's a sad day when they're coming here." Councilwoman Michelle Sierra-Sammons, who recently served on the AUSD Board of Trustees, said these trustees are having to make some of the hardest decisions any board member would ever have to. "This goes to the whole AUSD community," she said. "You all need to work together. I want to give support and the give the benefit of the doubt to this new board but I gotta say, all of you need to work together. It's not just your board, I can safely say, both sides you all aren't listening to each other. I'm not seeing any listening going on. That is disheartening, and that is not just two members' responsibility." Councilwoman Alice Dowdin-Calvillo said she was thankful to get an update from the school district. "I'm very sorry that we're in this conundrum," she said. "It's unfortunate for our community as a whole and I were to give my advice … it's just that transparency rules the roost and to the best of your ability, transparency is always the best route to go." Radell-Harris shared her perspective, as a parent, is one of frustration. "I don't apologize for being a councilmember that is a mom," she said. "I feel I am impacted by this slightly differently. It's a frustrating situation for all of us. I hope we can collaborate. I think that being an elected official, our biggest job is to listen. There was such a movement in the community (about this), I felt it was important to discuss as a community."