Sonoma County Committee
on School District Organization

The Sonoma County Committee on School District Organization is responsible for overseeing the reorganization of school districts in our county through territory transfer, district consolidation, and unification. It is empowered to:

Create, abolish, or rearrange trustee areas,
Increase or decrease the number of governing board members,
Determine alternative methods of electing governing board members,
Establish or abolish common governing boards, and
Rearrange trustee areas based on the federal decennial census.

The County Committee may initiate, coordinate, facilitate, or arbitrate these operations. It may also formulate plans, respond to petitions, conduct public hearings, develop and release information, and analyze proposals related to the organization of Sonoma County school districts.

The County Committee is subject to the legal requirements of the California Education Code and State Board of Education policies and regulations, but has latitude to address each local situation in its own context. The California Department of Education (CDE) provides a Handbook for School District Organization, which details the duties, responsibilities, and processes that must be followed.

More Information

The Sonoma County Committee on School District Organization consists of 11 members – two members from each of the five county supervisorial districts and one at-large member. Members are elected to four-year terms by representatives from the governing boards of all the Sonoma County school districts (one vote from each district).

Members must be registered voters and reside within the county supervisorial district they represent. No public school employees may serve on the Committee, but members of school district governing boards may serve.

Committee Members
District 1: Jeremy Brott – Term expires 2014
District 1: Ronald Kristof – Term expires 2015
District 2: Mary Schafer – Term expires 2012
District 2: Robert Smith – Term expires 2013
District 3: Larry Haenel – Term expires 2013
District 3: Kathy Hayes – Term expires 2014
District 4: Sandra Elliott – Term expires 2014
District 4: Richard Massell – Term expires 2015
District 5: Jeanne Bassett Fernandes – Term expires 2013
District 5: James DeWilder – Term expires 2012
At Large: Vernon Calsy – Term expires 2012