Petaluma City Schools is tightening its belt, and alternative education is taking a noticeable hit. This week, the school board signed off on a plan to cut staff and reorganize independent study and continuation programs in an effort to close a multimillion-dollar budget gap. District leaders insist the alternative campuses will stay open through the 2026-27 school year while a task force studies the next round of changes, but families and educators are already sounding the alarm about what the near-term cuts could mean for students who rely on smaller, more flexible settings.
Board signs off on targeted cuts
Under a budget resolution approved by the board, the district is planning about $6.12 million in reductions for the 2026-27 fiscal year, with $663,000 tied specifically to restructuring alternative education to help balance the books. Petaluma City Schools’ resolution outlines a mix of trims, including the end of one-time pandemic-funded positions, lower site allocations and other operational changes meant to close the district’s structural funding gap.
Counselors, site leaders and classified staff on the chopping block
The approved package zeroes in on staffing at the district’s alternative programs. According to reporting by the Petaluma Argus-Courier, the plan eliminates a half-time counselor at San Antonio High and a full-time alternative-education site administrator. Classified staff will also feel the squeeze, with cuts to a custodian, career-center specialist, registrar, student advisor and bilingual program clerk.
The Argus-Courier also reports that Valley Oaks is slated to lose roughly four full-time-equivalent teaching positions and shift to a single teacher responsible for long-term independent-study students. San Antonio High, which the paper notes currently serves about 62 students, is expected to operate with the equivalent of four full-time teachers in 2026-27.
Valley Oaks and San Antonio High brace for a new normal
Valley Oaks, the district’s accredited independent-study school, shares some administrative support with nearby continuation campuses and is built on a flexible model that mixes at-home work with periodic on-site instruction. The Valley Oaks FAQ explains how students’ time on campus varies depending on their classes and needs.
District officials say they are trying to realign that independent-study structure with lower enrollment and limited funding, essentially shrinking staff to match the number of students while keeping the basic program intact, at least for now.
Community bristles, task force set for 2026 review
Families, students and staff did not hold back at the board meeting. Speakers argued that alternative campuses are lifelines for students who struggle in traditional high schools, offering smaller communities, different schedules and a better shot at graduation. Community members told the Argus-Courier that San Antonio High “means everything to me,” stressing that cuts to support staff and counseling feel like an attack on the very features that make the campus work.
District leaders, for their part, told the paper they are not planning to close San Antonio High during this budget cycle. Instead, a task force is scheduled to begin a broader reevaluation of alternative education in October 2026, as reported by the Argus-Courier. Any major moves on the future of San Antonio, Valley Oaks and related programs are expected to flow from that process.
District officials tie the current reductions to a failed parcel tax measure and long-running structural budget problems that left them hunting for roughly $6 million in cuts. Local Measure I, which was designed to bolster school funding, fell short of the two-thirds supermajority it needed to pass. Local News Matters reported on the measure’s defeat and its role in the district’s financial troubles.
As the district rolls out the reductions and the clock ticks toward the 2026 task force review, families and staff will be watching closely to see whether the remaining supports at Valley Oaks and San Antonio can withstand the budget squeeze without shortchanging the students who depend on them most.
