Rohnert Park elementary school won't re-open after all

Cotati-Rohnert Park School District is putting aside plans to re-open La Fiesta Elementary School in August.

The district had hosted community forums and parent fairs to generate interest in opening the doors to the Liman Way campus for the 2012-13 school year but too few students were signed on to merit re-opening the campus, said first year superintendent Rob Haley.

The school was scheduled to start with a kindergarten through second grade lineup. That strategy proved problematic for families with children across many grade levels, Haley said.

"We had a lot of interest from families but how do they leave their fifth grader, then enroll their kindergartner?" he said. "That was a chunk of the problem."

The goal was to sign up 42 students for the first year.

The district still is considering using the campus in the 2013-14 school year.

"It's a great campus and I believe over the next few years we are going to need that space," Haley said.

La Fiesta was closed in 2008 when 331 students were enrolled and the district faced mounting budget pressure and declining enrollment. Gold Ridge Elementary was shuttered the same year.

Staff Writer Kerry Benefield writes an education blog at extracredit.blogs.pressdemocrat.com. She can be reached at 526-8671 or kerry.benefield@pressdemocrat.com.