Bodega Bay Elementary School at risk of closure

The possible closure of Bodega Bay Elementary School is one of several cost-cutting measures the Shoreline Unified School Board will discuss at a special meeting Thursday.

The school, which serves about 26 students in kindergarten through fifth grade, is the only Sonoma County campus in the Marin County-based district of five schools.

The cash-strapped district is considering closing the school as one of many potential ways to save money, Superintendent Tom Stubbs said. The school costs the district $250,000 or more each year in operating costs alone, he said.

“This is only the beginning of the conversation,” he emphasized. “The board needs to consider all kinds of options.”

The district needs to cut about $1.5 million annually from its budget, he said. That’s in part because of a change in a special type of funding it receives from the federal government because the district includes a national park, Point Reyes National Seashore, Stubbs said.

The proposal has galvanized Bodega Bay community members who say the school, while small, plays a vital role in the town. Around 50 people showed up at the school Tuesday night to discuss the closure. Many plan to travel to the Thursday meeting to voice their concern.

Thursday’s meeting will take place at 6 p.m. at Tomales High School, 3850 Irvin Road, Tomales.

Staff Writer Jamie Hansen blogs about education at extracredit.blogs.pressdemocrat.com. You can reach her at 521-5205 or jamie.hansen@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @jamiehansen.