To ensure transparency and provide opportunities for discussion there will be additional opportunities for public input. We recognize that this process impacts everyone, and we are committed to communicating as clearly and often. Input will be vital as we navigate these difficult decisions together. Please see below locations and dates to attend the a Budget Community Forum.

Additionally please click on the link below for FAQ's and other documents.

• Budget Reduction Information

• Budget FAQ's

• Budget Committee Members

During the community forums there will be time reserved for anyone to make comments and ask questions. We will be limited on time so this link below will be available for people to make comments and ask questions that don’t get a chance to speak, or that can’t attend one of the community forums.

• Click here to complete a comment

The School District Budget Committee has been established for the current budget cycle. The committee is made up of district administrators, school staff and parents who were selected earlier in the year by completing an application.

Even though the committee has already been selected, there will be other chances for community members to share their thoughts and ideas as the budget process continues. We’ll post updates and details about those opportunities here and through our regular district communications including information that has been shared with the committee.

The public is invited to attend upcoming Special Board Meetings at 1000 Yulupa Avenue, Santa Rosa, where the Board will be discussing budget reduction and related fiscal planning matters.

You may watch the meeting live via Zoom or attend in person.

• In-person attendance: Those wishing to make a public comment must attend in person. Public comment will begin at 4:15 p.m.

• Zoom viewing: The meeting will be available to watch live via Zoom

• Written comments: Members of the public who wish to submit a written comment must email their comment before 3:00 p.m. on the day of the meeting.

Your participation and feedback are valuable as the Board considers important decisions regarding the district’s budget.

December 18, 2025

Dear Staff and Families,

I am writing to share an important update from last night’s Board meeting and to invite your continued input as we move forward.

At the meeting, the Board of Trustees provided direction to close and restructure one of our elementary school sites for next school year. The Board also directed that the remaining six elementary schools continue to operate as TK–6 campuses. Both of these directions align with what we have consistently heard from our community members throughout our engagement efforts. We recognize that this was a difficult decision for the Board, as it will have a significant impact on our school community. However, this direction is necessary as we respond to long-term enrollment declines and work to stabilize the District’s financial situation.

The Board also reviewed and discussed the criteria that will be used to determine which school site will be closed and restructured. These criteria include program continuity, equity and community impact, enrollment and capacity, facility needs, projected savings, transportation, and student safety. A team will review each of the seven elementary school sites using these criteria to develop a recommendation, which will be presented to the Board of Trustees on January 13, 2026.

As part of this process, we are asking staff to share their perspective through a brief Google Survey, linked here. The survey asks you to indicate how important each of the criteria should be in the District’s decision-making process. Your input is an important part of this work, and all responses will be considered collectively.  We ask that you complete this survey no later than December 28th as we will be working on this through the break in order to have results ready for the January meeting.  

A similar message and the same Google Survey will go out to our families tomorrow, as I am currently in the process of translating these to Spanish.  However, I wanted to get this out to staff ASAP as I know you are entering your break.    

Thank you for your continued professionalism, care for students, and engagement during this challenging work.

November 14, 2025

Dear Staff and Families,

Our next ​Community ​Budget Forum is on Monday, November 17th at 6:30PM at Binkley Elementary School.  Please see the message below ​that was previously sent with more detailed information.  

Mike ​Herfurth
Interim Superintendent

Dear Staff and Families,

As part of our commitment to transparency and open communication, we’ve prepared a presentation for our upcoming  Budget Community Forums. We know not everyone is able to attend in person, so we’re sharing the presentation in advance for you to review at your convenience.  

Click Here To View The Budget Community Forum Presentation - All three forums will have the same presentation to allow people to choose which one best fits their schedule.  

Please click here to view the specific dates, times, and locations of our upcoming Budget Community Forums. (Spanish Version)

During the community forums there will be time reserved for anyone to make comments and ask questions. We will be limited on time so this QR code will be available for people to make comments and ask questions that don’t get a chance to speak, or that can’t attend one of the community forums.: Click here

The forums will provide an opportunity to learn more about our district’s budget, ask questions, and share feedback on budget reduction and revenue possibilities as we work together to plan for the future.  

Thank you for staying engaged and for your continued support of our schools and students.

Sincerely,
Mike Herfurth
Interim Superintendent

November 9, 2025

Dear Staff and Families,

As part of our commitment to transparency and open communication, we’ve prepared a presentation for our upcoming  Budget Community Forums. We know not everyone is able to attend in person, so we’re sharing the presentation in advance for you to review at your convenience.  

Click Here To View The Budget Community Forum Presentation - All three forums will have the same presentation to allow people to choose which one best fits their schedule.  

Please click here to view the specific dates, times, and locations of our upcoming Budget Community Forums. (Spanish Version)

During the community forums there will be time reserved for anyone to make comments and ask questions. We will be limited on time so this QR code will be available for people to make comments and ask questions that don’t get a chance to speak, or that can’t attend one of the community forums.: Click here

The forums will provide an opportunity to learn more about our district’s budget, ask questions, and share feedback on budget reduction and revenue possibilities as we work together to plan for the future.  

Thank you for staying engaged and for your continued support of our schools and students.

Sincerely,
Mike Herfurth
Interim Superintendent

October 21, 2025

Dear Staff and Families,
Our district is facing a serious budget challenge that will require significant reductions over the next two years just to keep us at our minimum reserve level. Click here to review previous communications regarding this issue.  

To ensure transparency and provide opportunities for discussion, the Board of Trustees has scheduled two special board meetings focused specifically on the budget, potential reductions, and possible revenue sources.  Although the Board of Trustees does not typically Zoom special board meetings and study sessions, we will have the following meetings available to watch by Zoom.  All comments need to be in person or submitted in writing (Form-click here) to the Board of Trustees prior to 3:00 p.m. the day of the meeting.  You can also email our board members, and I would appreciate you cc'ing me as well.

President Mike Cook - mcook@rvuse.org
Clerk Shelby Moeller - smoeller@rcvusd.org  
Trustee Jeff Gospe - jgospe@rvusd.org
Trustee Jolene Johnson - jjohnson@rvusd.org
Trustee Vicki Harris - vharris@rvusd.org

Special Board Meetings on the Budget

• Monday, November 3 at 4:15 p.m. – Open session 

  • A brief presentation will outline the timeline for the budget reduction process and provide key updates.   

• Wednesday, December 17 at 4:15 p.m. – Open session 

  • This meeting will include more detailed discussions about potential areas for reductions. We intend to have specific budget reduction options available at this meeting and encourage community input at the meeting.  

We recognize that this process impacts everyone, and we are committed to communicating as clearly and often.  Input will be vital as we navigate these difficult decisions together.

Sincerely,
Mike Herfurth
Interim Superintendent

October 9th, 2025

Dear Staff and Families,

Approximately two weeks ago, I sent communication out regarding our budget.  Click here to view previous message. 

I want to provide you with an important update regarding our district budget, now two weeks later.  

On Monday evening, we received a letter from the Sonoma County Office of Education (SCOE) approving our revised budget. While this approval is positive, the letter also raises serious concerns about our financial outlook in the coming years. In order to maintain the required 3% minimum reserve, our district will need to identify $4.32 million in reductions for the 2026–27 school year and an additional $4.28 million in reductions for the 2027–28 school year.

Yesterday, we held the first meeting of our Budget Advisory Committee. It was a constructive meeting, and the group recognized the seriousness of our financial situation. This work will not be easy, but it is necessary.

Our current reality is the result of both past decisions and rising, unpredictable costs that have affected schools across the state. While we cannot change the past, we are committed to making the decisions needed to stabilize our district’s future. These will be tough conversations, and difficult choices will need to be made.

I want to assure you that we will face these challenges together. We are committed to being transparent throughout this process and to keeping you informed along the way. I know that, as a community, we can work through this and find solutions that keep our students at the center of our decisions.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership as we take on this important work.

Sincerely,
Mike Herfurth
Interim Superintendent

September 2025

Dear RVUSD Families,

I want to share an important update regarding our district’s budget. While our 2025–26 budget was previously approved by the Board of Trustees in June, the Sonoma County Office of Education (SCOE) recently reviewed it and asked us to bring it back for re-approval with updated adjustments.  This was done at our September meeting and has been sent to SCOE.     

The reason for this step is that several factors have put our district at risk of falling below the state-required 3% reserve for economic uncertainty. These include but are not limited to:

• Higher-than-expected costs in special education services, where the funding we receive does not fully cover the support we provide to students.

• Student attendance being lower than projected, which reduces the revenue we receive from the state.

• Increases in personnel and benefit costs that have outpaced the new funding we receive.

• Past years of deficit spending that were covered by drawing from our reserves, which are now at a critical level.

• Declining enrollment over the last several years.

• No longer receiving school relief funds that were provided to help recover from COVID, and other grant funds that have expired.   

With the updated adjustments, our budget keeps us just above the state’s 3% required reserve. However, it is clear that additional changes will be needed to ensure we remain financially stable, or we will fall below the state’s required reserve by the 2026-27 school year.  I’m sure you have seen neighboring districts who are currently struggling with this too, and it is in our best interest to address this now so we don’t get ourselves facing further ramifications, like we are seeing potentially happen around us.      

Please know that our highest priority is continuing to support our students and provide the best possible education. We are committed to transparency, and we will keep you informed as we work together on solutions.  I want to be clear that we will be facing difficult decisions as we will be obligated to reduce expenditures at a significant amount.  We are awaiting final approval of our budget from SCOE before being able to confirm and communicate the amount of reductions needed.     

One of the immediate steps is to create a budget advisory committee within the next week.  This committee will meet to brainstorm ways to reduce expenditures, increase revenue, and will offer suggestions for the district administration to consider ways to become more fiscally solvent.  We intend to have approximately 20-25 people on this committee, making up a representative group of our district from TK-8th grade.  This includes doing our best to represent each of our school sites and programs and include staff and non-staff family/community members.  If you would like to be considered to be a part of this budget committee please click here.  This needs to be completed no later than October 3rd.     

Thank you for your ongoing support of our schools and your partnership in your child’s education.

Sincerely,

Mike Herfurth
Interim Superintendent
Rincon Valley Union School District