By Sara Beth Williams–
The Citrus Heights City Council on Thursday will decide whether to form a new citizens’ advisory committee, tasked with examining the feasibility of a new Citrus Heights school district.
In October last year, then-Vice Mayor Tim Schaefer proposed the idea of investigating what it would take for the city to form its own school district, citing low enrollment in Citrus Heights schools, loss of students to other districts, and low performance throughout most Citrus Heights campuses.
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Since being proposed, the idea has been met with conflicting opinions both for and against from former city council members, community members, and former educators.
A staff report for the upcoming agenda item cites several examples of similar committees formed in the past, including a Law Enforcement Citizens’ Advisory Committee formed in 2004 and made up of 21 members appointed by the city council, which concluded with a recommendation to form a new Police Department.
The proposed Citrus Heights Education Advisory Committee, if approved and formed, would similarly look into the possibility of breaking off from San Juan Unified School District to form a new Citrus Heights school district and make a recommendation to the City Council.
Alternatively, the staff report says the council could assign the task to an existing subcommittee, which would likely mean less involvement from community members compared with an advisory board.
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If an advisory committee is approved, a draft option for “next steps” included in the report lists an application period with community outreach in June, appointment of advisory members in July, and then a potential six-month period for committee meetings, followed by formal recommendations presented to the City Council in February 2024.
The City Council’s March 23 meeting will be held at 6 p.m. at City Hall and via livestream on Youtube and Zoom. Public comments can be made live, or by submitting an email before 4 p.m. on March 23 to cityclerk@citrusheights.net, which will be read out loud during the meeting.
