What does Carrillo have to say about the firing of Superintendent Morales?

Community district office protests ( Jojo Bailie/ The Puma Prensa)

By Madeleine Smith, sports editor

The transition from April to May is seeing more than a temperature change. As of Wednesday, April 23, Santa Rosa City Schools Superintendent Dr. Daisy Morales was removed from her position as the District head. The decision was announced during the second Board meeting of the month after initial reports and was met with overwhelming approval from those in attendance. 

Following the meeting, Maria Carrillo High School has been abuzz with excitement. 

Here is what Carrillo students and teachers have to say about the firing of Morales. 

“I am very happy.” - Georgia Jenkins (9th)

“I am glad that Morales was fired.” - Brody Whitten (9th)

“I am very happy that she has been fired because I just feel like she did not make any good decisions, and overall the district will be in a better place without her.” - Leo Eiger (10th)

“When I saw it, I definitely think it was a shock because it kind of felt sudden and like we had been protesting for so long and advocating for a long time with what felt like no progress. It [felt] like no one was really listening or even thought of it as a possibility, so I had kind of gotten to a point where it felt like a lost cause and like it was not going to happen… At first, I felt a little hopeful because it felt like we were finally being listened to in some capacity and other Board and Cabinet members were finally acknowledging the issues that we were seeing. [However], it is a step, but it is not everything, so it feels like, although this is kind of a milestone… there is still a lot more to be done and a lot more changes that we want to see. This is not everything, but it is a start to being listened to and it does give more hope that the changes we do want to see are possible and that we are being slightly heard.” - Callie Ritter (12th)

“I am very happy, because she fired Mrs. Wiese, and Mrs. Wiese is good.” - Ava Noel (9th)

“While the removal of Morales is a step in the right direction, I think our Board and our Cabinet still has a really long way to go in general. I do not think all of the negative things that have happened are directly because of Morales, but I think they were exacerbated by someone who knows nothing about our county and our district being our superintendent.” - Jordan Henry, Honors/AP English Teacher

“I personally think that Dr. Morales being fired could be a way for the Board to cover up their mistakes for what they have done before. Honestly speaking, since she recently came from Santa Cruz, I do not believe that she was the mastermind of it all. She was a puppet in their little scheme, and so firing her is just a way for them to seem better, but we still have to address quite a few issues.” - Sheikyelah Kahoro (12th)

“I think that the removal of Superintendent Morales is a step in the right direction. The school board made a good choice to try to alleviate the chaos that has happened since the beginning of the year. However, it is not enough. The roots of the chaos and problems in our district are in the cabinet and the decision to implement the 7-12 plan. The board needs to reinstate the two removed MCHS admin as well as revoke the 7-12 plan if we have any hopes of functioning in the future.” - Scott Wallach, Academic/AP Social Studies Teacher

“I immediately was super excited because of all the educated people around me – this is what they wanted… but then we heard about the fact that she is owed [severance] pay, so just because she can not affect us, does not mean that she is not getting away with what she did, which is frustrating.” - Abby Todhunter (12th)

“At first I was really shocked because I genuinely did not think they were going to do anything to her… it seemed like she had situated herself in a way that she was protected. It is really frustrating that she is still going to be paid because of her contract… While I do feel like it is a good thing that she is gone because she caused a lot of issues and she did not seem to be very effective in her role, I feel like she was largely a figurehead. I do not know a ton about how the Board works, but I feel like there are greater issues with the Board and the people that are still in charge – not just the Superintendent. She does not have complete power over all these things. So, it is good that she is gone, but what does it really do for us?” - Stella Lightheart (12th)

Everyone is wondering exactly what the decision means – what are the implications, and what should we do now?