Folsom Cordova Unified board approves study that looks into splitting districts

The Folsom Cordova Unified School District board approved Thursday a $72,500 feasibility study to analyze the possibility of splitting its 34 schools into two smaller districts in Folsom and Rancho Cordova, school officials confirmed.

The cost will be split three ways among the board and the cities of Folsom and Rancho Cordova, according to David Reid, the board’s president.

The study was tabled until the fall semester on June 15. A special joint meeting was held on June 8 between the school board and the two suburban cities to hear from city and school officials on separating the district of 21,000 enrolled students.

Multiple school officials who spoke in favor of a split in June cited an obvious disparity between treatment that Folsom schools received versus schools in Rancho Cordova.

“I truly believe in the educational programs that FCUSD provides, but I do think it’s starkly obvious that there is a disparity of equality between Rancho and Folsom,” said Ria Srivastava, a former student board member. “Whether it be facilities to staff support to even just the way the community perceives our schools, it is entirely clear that there is a lack in Rancho Cordova.”

The newest effort was launched by board members in January.

There was an attempt in 2002 to divide the district, but a Sacramento County reorganization committee determined that there would be racial or ethnic discrimination or segregation should it split and did not approve a proposed reorganization. Other factors in the decision regarded finances and education performance.

There were also unsuccessful efforts to split the district in the 1990s.

There are nine statutory criteria for a division petition to move forward, according to Brianna García, the vice president of the School Services of California. Among them: Each reorganized district must have an adequate number of pupils enrolled, each district has a substantial community identity, there must be an equitable division of property and facilities and there must be no racial or ethnic discrimination or segregation.

Additional criteria also maintain that there should be no substantial increase in state or school facility costs, both districts must have sound education programs and performances, there must be purposes for reorganization other than to significantly increase property values and the proposed reorganization must promote fiscal management, García told the joint meeting’s attendees in June.

Should a Sacramento County committee approve or disapprove of a reorganization, the petition would then be seen by the State Board of Education. Upon its approval there, a reorganization would then be put before voters in a ballot initiative.

This story was originally published August 16, 2023 at 2:21 PM.