School Board Votes To Close Sullivan Middle School

Correction: George Guynn was asking for Suisun City Schools to be spared intstead of Fairfield's, not the other way around.

Suisun City schools lucked out last night.

After passionate pleas from hundreds of school supporters of every school that showed up on the list considered for closure and criticism from the public, the Fairfield-Unified School District Governing Board of Trustees voted 5-2 to close a Middle School and accept employee and management concessions.

The move may have far reaching impact for elementary schools and every 8th grader next year, because it will likely mean most 6th graders will stay at their Elementary school.

Dave Gaut and Pat Shamanksy voted no, with Shamansky urging the board to consider waiting until the next meeting to allow the board and the public to digest the list of school closures.

"It's very important to step back and think about all the information from the public," she said.

Althougth the public knew there would be a middle school and an elementary school considered for closure in February, it didn't know which ones until Wednesday night, when the district released it's plans -- the option the board voted to pass released just three and a half hours before the meeting.

But Superintendent Jacki Cottingham-Dias reminded the board that if they didn't act Thursday, they would force a delay in start day for school in the fall, potentially by 2-3 weeks.

Cottingham Dias also said it would continue the limbo that schools on the list for possible closure were in.

Members of the public criticized the board for not thinking of a "7th option" that could keep all the schools open. One woman suggested mandating salary cuts to all employees to get the savings. Others suggested the school not open the planned Public Safety Academy magnet school while it was closing others.

George Guynn, Jr., president of the Solano Taxpayers Association, argued for a Fairfield school's closure because Fairfield had a higher population.

In the end the board cut the baby in half, voting with the option that, supposedly, would do as little damage to district schools as possible.

Trustee John Silva said school supporters did not show up in vain.

"What it shows me is kind of heartwarming, that there is much passion in our schools," he said.