Vallejo public schools are getting better, officials declared Tuesday during a packed “listening session” at Cooper Elementary School.”What a gift it is to be here for the renaissance,” school board President Adrienne Waterman said at the end of the three-hour session. The forum offered parents a chance to see improvements and how much remains to be done.

The board members first held a brief regular meeting before adjourning to the listening session, allowing them to interact with the more than 250 attendees.