La Fiesta Re-Opening Stalled

Community interest has fizzled out about a plan floated by Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified to re-open La Fiesta Elementary — at least for the upcoming school year.

The school district didn't meet its goal of enrolling 42 students for the first year, but Superintendent Robert Haley said there's still a possibility La Fiesta will begin classes in 2013-14, the Press Democrat recently reported.

The elementary school closed down a few years ago because of significant cuts to the district's budget and declining enrollment numbers. But Haley, who is in his first year as superintendent, said he was studying what it would take to re-open the elementary school this year — part of a districtwide reconfiguration aimed at attracting students back to the district and sparking new interest in Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified. Haley outlined some goals for La Fiesta, some of which could remain or get tweaked next year. They are:

• Class sizes of 24 or fewer in kindergarten through second grade.
• A thematic, integrated curriculum in which students acquire skills in reading, writing and mathematics through participation in a variety of real-world projects.
• A focus on parent and community involvement.
• Enrichment opportunities such as Spanish, creek study, gardening, art and cooking.

Assistant Superintendent Elizabeth Kaufman said there's potential there, and some families were starting to show interest a month ago.

"We're wondering if families from other parts of the district, like Hahn and Evergreen, might want to come back to their home school," Kaufman said, after the district first introduced the idea. "Our goal is to listen to what the community wants."

As we reported when the idea was first introduced, school officials wants to attract back students who may have migrated out of the city, and from other schools within the district. Preliminary numbers showed that roughly 120 kids who would be attending K-6 grades next year live in L Section and attend other schools in the district, and an additonal 98 go to other schools outside the district.

What do you think? Would you be interested in your child attending La Fiesta? Should Rohnert Park and Cotati re-open the shuttered elementary? 

Don't miss the full story from the Press Democrat here.

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