Pat Godwin, the superintendent for the Folsom Cordova Unified School District, announced today that he will be retiring at the end of the 2009-2010 school year. The statement comes after heated discussions between the district and parents about the potential closure of two elementary schools in Rancho Cordova.
“For 36 years I have rolled out of bed and wanted to be in my classroom, school, or office working on behalf of students,” Godwin said in a statement. ”After 36 years, I have found some other interests outside of education that I want to pursue. ”
Godwin and other school officials held a public forum Monday night to address the school closures. Cordova Lane and Riverview Elementaries were originally slated for closure by the district, but after complaints about the selection process, the district has reassessed their stance on closing Cordova Lane.
The district is now considering the closure of Riverview Elementary along with Williamson Elementary, a school that was not originally considered for closure due to its geographic location, but the closure of Cordova Lane is still under consideration by the district.
Godwin addressed parents’ concerns over the selection of Rancho Cordova schools instead of Folsom schools at the public forum Monday night. “We started looking at Rancho Cordova first, and we will be looking at Folsom next year,” he said. ”It was a fairly logical choice.” Godwin added that Rancho Cordova has three schools with enrollment less than 300, but all of Folsom’s schools have enrollment over 300.
Despite parents’ objections over the plans, Godwin has remained firm on the decision to close the schools. “At the end of this, my recommendation is that we close two schools,” he said. Godwin said that the district will form a transition team comprised of parents and staff members to smooth the transition process once the schools are selected for closure.
Parents have also questioned the district’s ability to close the schools because Measure N, a bond measure passed by voters to fund renovations to the district’s schools, has money allocated for the schools under consideration for closure.
One parent at the meeting said she has met with a lawyer to discuss options parents have in the decision to close the schools. “Any homeowner here in Rancho Cordova that voted for that bond can file a class action lawsuit against the FCUSD,” she said. ”At this point, the Folsom Cordova Unified School District is now violating the terms of that bond to follow through with what we thought was in that measure N bond.”
She said there were additional measures the parents could take to prevent the closures. “As I understand, not only can we file class action suits, but any member of this community can have a judge file an injuction against the district,” she said.
Godwin has joked at the public forums that the fastest way to be voted out of his position is to decide to close a school. “Nothing about what we’re doing tonight has anything to do with what’s wrong at any school,” he said at the meeting. “We know that these are very good schools.”
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