Board approves plan to merge Betty Reid Soskin, Pinole middle schools

Betty Reid Soskin Middle School and Pinole Middle School will be merged, and the district's K-8 model will be dismantled under a fiscal solvency plan approved Wednesday by the West Contra Costa Unified School District Board of Education.

The plan proposes combining the two schools on the Pinole campus and returning seventh and eighth-grade students to their neighborhood middle schools. West County Mandarin, currently split between the two school sites, would be consolidated at the Betty Reid Soskin campus.

The district faces an operating deficit of $13.9 million in the current fiscal year, which is projected to increase to $24.5 million in 2026-27 and $31.4 million in 2027-28. When combined with costs from agreements reached with labor unions following a December strike, the district needs to find $127.2 million in savings over three years.

District officials also said the solvency plan anticipates approximately $60 million in reductions in 2026–27 and $27 million in 2027–28 to stabilize the budget.

The district currently holds a “qualified” certification, meaning it may not be able to meet its financial obligations in the current or subsequent fiscal year without corrective action. District leaders said the existing budget relies heavily on reserves to cover ongoing expenses.

The plan approved Wednesday includes exhausting the district’s Fund 17 reserves by 2026–27, borrowing $13 million annually for three years from its Other Post-Employment Benefits fund, and identifying $42.4 million in staffing and program reductions in 2026–27, followed by $14.2 million in 2027–28.

Superintendent Cheryl Cotton said in a message to families Thursday that while the district can meet its financial obligations this year, “there are concerns about our ability to do so in the coming years unless we make changes.”

Betty Reid Soskin Middle School (left) and Pinole Middle School. Photo/ Linda Hemmila

Cotton wrote that the district must adopt “a program redesign to align with our current fiscal reality” and warned that without a solvency plan, the county could impose fiscal oversight, resulting in the loss of local control over financial decisions.

“This was an incredibly difficult decision,” Board President Guadalupe Enllana said in a statement. “Our responsibility is to stabilize the district’s finances while continuing to support students and staff. Taking action now allows us to maintain local control and make these decisions with community voice at the table.”

The reductions include districtwide cuts to materials and supplies and to services and contracts; staffing alignments at elementary and secondary schools based on enrollment; classified staff reductions; and program changes.

Among the proposed changes are the elimination of elementary band as a centrally funded program, with direction to school sites to use Proposition 28 arts funding or other one-time funds to retain music teachers where possible. The plan also includes eliminating School Community Outreach Worker positions at Title I schools, though trustees directed staff to identify alternative funding sources, including Title I, to retain as many of those positions as possible.

Trustee Demetrio Gonzalez-Hoy said in a statement posted after the meeting that he voted for the plan because he believed the alternative would be worse.

“These decisions are painful. They impact real people, real schools, and real kids,” Gonzalez-Hoy wrote. “I am not happy about these cuts. I am not comfortable with them. But I do believe they were necessary to prevent even deeper harm.”

Gonzalez-Hoy said he was concerned that without a balanced plan, the district could lose local control and face the possibility of decisions being made externally.

Cotton acknowledged the emotional toll of the process, writing that listening sessions “made clear the depth of concern” and that the district does not minimize the impact on students, staff, and families. She said the changes will not happen immediately and that the district will share detailed transition plans and next steps in the coming weeks.

“Our commitment remains to move forward with transparency, equity, and care as we redesign the future of WCCUSD,” Cotton wrote.

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