Four trustees of the Sonoma Valley Unified School Board met in regular session the evening of February 12 at the Sonoma City Council Chambers. Trustee Jason Lehman was not present for this very important meeting, the Agenda for which included offering a three-year contract to the Board’s recently selected new Superintendent Jason Sutter, and authorizing extensive cuts of teachers and support staff.
The chambers were packed with community members, including many District staff, and parents and students. Many had come to address the recent unilateral decision by Board President David Bell to remove the Pride Flag from the flagpole in front of Sonoma Valley High; and many others were present to protest the extensive proposed staffing cuts, including the Director of Wellness position. In view of the 40 people signed up to make public comment, the trustees decided to limit comment to 90 seconds each.
First to speak, before public comment, were Valley of the Moon Teachers Association Co-Presidents Laura Hoban and Shellie Ryan. The union leaders set the tone for the meeting with an impassioned, eloquent statement to the trustees, and to the new superintendent who will take office on March 1. (See their full statement on page 5.) Hoban, who was accompanied at the podium by Ryan, read the statement on behalf of the 198 members of the union, which comprises approximately 97% of the eligible staff…