Santa Rosa Metropolis Faculty officers making six figures regardless of huge price range points.

A significant California college district teeters on the breaking point after uncontrolled spending and hiring.

Santa Rosa Metropolis Colleges, that are about 1.5 hours north of San Francisco, have been reprimanded by Sonoma County schooling chiefs for blowing stacks of money.

Employees noticed bumper pay packets and introduced in too many new staff for the income it was producing, authorities stated.

In the meantime the district has seen scholar enrollment dwindle from 16,000 in 2016 to underneath 12,000 final yr throughout 24 colleges within the area.

In a stark warning, Michael Wonderful, CEO of the Fiscal Disaster and Administration Help Staff, instructed the college in a January board assembly: “You’ve some severe money points.”

He added: “Way more severe than every other district within the state. I don’t perceive why you might be all the time out of money.”

The union president for the lecturers additionally tore into the district, claiming it had made short-term fixes to systemic issues on the colleges.

Kathryn Howell stated: “It’s a home of playing cards, it seems prefer to me.” The primary focus for investigators has been over hiring workers on big salaries whereas enrollment tanked over the previous decade.

Colleges districts in California earn cash primarily based on the variety of college students enrolled, however the numbers within the district has steadily declined over the previous 5 years.

Regardless of this, the higher crust of Santa Rosa Metropolis Faculty officers have been making over $1 million mixed, the Put up can reveal.

Lisa August Hulme, the now interim Superintendent for Santa Rosa Metropolis Colleges, has a base wage of $261,537.

That’s within the ninetieth percentile of California’s superintendents and nearer to salaries in bigger districts with over 20,000 college students.

Different prime salaries embody Dr. Vicki Zands, an assistant superintendent making over $222,000 a yr after advantages.

Roderick M. Castro, assistant superintendent of instructing and studying, had a complete pay of $243,410.60.

Stacy A. Desideri, the chief director of wellness and engagement earned a complete compensation of $198,000.

The 2025-2026 Santa Rosa Metropolis colleges administration wage schedule additionally reveals above common cost for numerous positions together with $170,000 for a highschool principal, the California common is $135,000.

Different components have additionally turned college students away from their school rooms. At Montgomery Excessive a 16-year-old scholar was fatally stabbed by one other scholar in 2023.

Jayden Jess Pienta, was knifed in a classroom and later died at Santa Rosa Hospital.

The district was additionally plagued with price range issues after it misplaced a lot of college students throughout Covid and wildfires in 2017, burning over 5,600 constructions and killing 22.

Given the price range points, among the district’s executives have taken pay cuts to attempt to assist with the price range deficit.

Requires remark to Santa Rosa Metropolis colleges weren’t instantly returned.

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