Monrovia board continues study of Santa Fe and Clifton middle-school viability amid community concerns
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Summary
The district presented consolidation analysis for Santa Fe and Clifton middle schools and held multiple public meetings and a survey; teacher and community commenters said initial data had errors that have since been corrected and asked the district to ensure the full context and programmatic differences are considered.
District staff presented findings from a series of middle-school consolidation meetings and supporting data as part of a year-long effort to stabilize district finances. The presentations examined square footage, operating costs, program offerings and surrounding community context for Santa Fe Middle School and Clifton Middle School.
Staff said the district held six middle-school consolidation meetings (four in person, two virtual) in October and posted meeting slides and recordings to ParentSquare along with a public survey. The stated goal is to determine viable options to avoid fiscal distress; staff characterized the districts financial status as —in financial stabilization— and described the process as intended to prevent greater fiscal problems.
A Santa Fe teacher, Stephanie Sparks, called the initial data —skewed, incomplete, and wrong— for Santa Fe, saying program and space counts (labs, stockrooms, office space) were misreported; staff later corrected the data on ParentSquare, she said. Community commenters urged the board to consider programmatic differences and local context before decisions about closures or consolidations.
Board members and presenters repeatedly encouraged parents and community members to use the district survey and review posted materials; the board scheduled further discussion and public engagement. No formal consolidation decision was made at the meetings summarized; the matter remains under study and will return to the board for future action.