The Santa Rosa City Schools Board of Education voted during closed session on April 23 to terminate Superintendent Daisy Morales’ contract without cause under section 11.2 of her employment agreement effective the same day. President Roxanne McNally announced the action in open session and said Associate Superintendent Lisa August will perform the superintendent duties until an interim is appointed.

The termination vote, reported in open session, carried with five yes votes from trustees Roxanne McNally, Kirby, Casten, De La Torre and Jenkins. Trustee Medina voted no. Vice President Manieri was absent and did not participate in the closed-session vote.

Why it matters: The board’s action comes at the end of a meeting dominated by public comment and staff presentations about school consolidations and program changes. Dozens of speakers used the allotted public-comment time to criticize district leadership decisions, demand transparency and press the board to reverse personnel moves at multiple high schools — particularly the reassignment of Amy Weese, principal at Maria Carrillo High School (MCHS).

Public comments: More than a dozen teachers, parents and students from Maria Carrillo urged the board to reinstate Principal Amy Weese, saying her removal lacked transparency and harmed school stability. Brenda Rodriguez, a MCHS math teacher, outlined a timeline presented to the board and called the removal “illogical and unsubstantiated.” Jordan Henry, an English teacher at Maria Carrillo, said the district had not produced evidence of performance problems and asked the board to investigate whether due process was followed. Britney Geddes, math department chair at MCHS, and other staff and community members described Weese as a stabilizing leader and urged the board to reverse the reassignment.

Several speakers referenced prior district actions and wider staff changes, including reassignments and layoffs, and linked those moves to declines in trust with the district cabinet. One student speaker delivered a petition representing several hundred signatures in support of two Pioneer High administrators the student asked the board to keep on-site.

Board response and next steps: President McNally said the board had acted and would appoint an interim superintendent process to follow. Associate Superintendent Lisa August will take on the duties of superintendent while the board begins the process of appointing an interim.

What the board recorded as formal action: President McNally reported that during closed session the board had voted to terminate the superintendent’s agreement without cause under section 11.2 of the agreement, effective April 23, 2025. The board recorded roll-call support for the termination (Kirby, Casten, De La Torre, Jenkins, McNally), with one recorded nay (Medina) and one absence (Manieri). No further closed-session actions were reported for open-session consideration.

Community context: Speakers repeatedly asked the board to explain the rationale for administrative moves and to restore principals who, they said, had community support. Several speakers referenced prior decisions in which the cabinet reassigned administrators districtwide and asked that the board and cabinet produce documentation or a fuller explanation of the decision-making process. Others said confidentiality laws limit what the district can disclose but asked for greater transparency about the process and facts that informed personnel decisions.

Ending: The board’s termination of the superintendent’s contract may change the district’s approach to forthcoming staffing and consolidation decisions. Associate Superintendent Lisa August will serve as acting superintendent while the board decides next steps; the board did not provide a timetable for appointing an interim or for any formal review of the personnel decisions raised repeatedly in public comment.