By Rachel Raskin-Zrihen

The end of an era, concerns over the state of music instruction, approving millions in budget cuts plus spending millions on transforming district campuses were the main issues at Wednesday’s Vallejo City Unified School District board meeting.

Board trustees heard again that the district’s budget would need to shrink by nearly $8 million next year and the year after to maintain its required 3 percent reserves.

Pam Hatter, the retiring principal of Widenmann Elementary School, told those present that the campus was packed into more than 2,000 boxes and ready for its move to the lower floors of what over the summer will become the Solano/Widenmann K-8 school. The campus of Solano Middle School will undergo a Measure S-funded transformation to accommodate the Widenmann students and faculty, a move made necessary by the launch of the ELITE charter school, which will inhabit the Widenmann campus. Although the Vallejo school board rejected the charter school — the brainchild of former VCUSD superintendent Ramona Bishop — the county office of education approved it, and directed the district to supply it a facility.

Source: Vallejo school district says farewell to one year, prepares for the next – Times Herald