The Sacramento City Unified School District Board ended the controversy surrounding a plan to swap two central city campuses by tabling the proposal indefinitely at its meeting Thursday night at the Serna Center.

The standing room only crowd broke out in enthusiastic applause when SCUSD Superintendent Jonathan Raymond made it clear what the Board intended to do.

Strong feelings on all sides of the issue had been building after the proposals that contemplated the campus swap along with school closures and consolidations were first tendered.

“Design teams” were appointed by the principals of each school that were composed of staff, parents, students and neighbors. The groups recently began meeting to discuss the pros and cons of possible changes.

If they had been adopted, the plans would have affected a number of elementary schools and middle schools in the SCUSD in addition to the high school campus swap between West Campus and Sacramento Charter High School.

Raymond summarized the sentiments of fellow board members Patrick Kennedy, Jeff Cuneo, and Ellyne Bell Diana Rodriguez during the discussion period when he stated, “This has been a learning process and we goofed it.”

Board Member Kennedy led off the discussion by acknowledging and apologizing for the firestorm that resulted from the campus swap proposal he put on the table.

“West Campus is not part of the solution” to the underutilized campus at Sacramento Charter High School said Kennedy during his remarks.

Board member Cuneo indicated that the idea of proposing the solution and bringing the community along was the wrong approach to solving the problems associated with “dwindling enrollments” and “having more seats than students.”

He indicated that going to the community and having it propose solutions is the better approach.

“A deficit driven discussion for limited resources is not the answer," stated Cuneo.

By tabling the proposal now, it will be possible to begin a better discussion later, said Cuneo.

Board member Woo expressed thanks for the outpouring of passionate school pride on the part of students, parents, faculty, and alumni that was shown during the process.

“We got the message-move forward in a different direction,” said Woo. He also indicated that when the debate is resumed it won’t start with the solutions.

“The best solutions come from the people,” stated newly elected Board President Diana Rodriguez Ellyne Bell .

The SCUSD board also determined to discontinue the work of nearly all of the design teams as a part of its decision to take a break from the process and come back later with a fresh start toward solving the district’s problems.

“The design team approach is not working,” Kennedy explained after listening to the comments of fellow board members.

Board Superintendent Raymond made it clear that the design teams were to continue their work only at the Leonardo Da Vinci middle school and with the School of Engineering and Sciences until they report in at the next board meeting scheduled for December 14, 2011.

There was a sizable contingent of supporters for each of the schools included in the SCUSD proposed plans. Many wore matching T-shirts expressing slogans against closure and consolidation and to demonstrate pride in their schools.

It appeared as if Sac High had the greatest number of supporters which included a sizable group of students who came to the meeting together by bus.

The loudest reaction from the audience came when it was made clear that all proposals affecting Sac. High and West Campus were off of the table.

Husband and wife and Renae and Steven Salvi-Gonzales attended the school board meeting in support of preserving the status quo. They have one child at St. Hope Academy, another at PS7, and a third attending Sacramento Charter High School.

Upon hearing the announcement that the campus swap was no longer under consideration, Mr. Salvi-Gonzales simply stated, “Great, that’s why we’re here.”

“The public schools failed us. We went to St. Hope and it exceeded our expectations,” stated Mrs. Salvi-Gonzales when commenting on why it was so important that the St. Hope organization not be subjected to the disruption that would be caused by the proposed campus swap.

“Thumbs up” stated a smiling Paula Balzer during the brief recess in the board meeting while nearly half of the audience headed out of the room amidst an excited buzz of joyful conversation.

Balzer has one child attending West Campus and is very pleased with its academic program and the campus facility.

‘I think they went about it the wrong way,” Balzer stated when commenting on what she observed in the process.

“Now I only want the same for Leonardo Da Vinci,” said Balzer in reference to her two younger children who attend school there.

After the board meeting resumed, a group of seven Sacramento Charter High School freshmen were still celebrating in the cafeteria of the Serna Center after the initial excitement died down.

Members of the group attended every public forum discussing the matter involving their school up to and including the board meeting held Thursday night. They were all clearly pleased with board’s decision and their participation in the process

“It doesn’t take being a member of St. Hope for very long to know it’s a great program,” said Takarra Johnson.

“Sac. High’s test scores have increased tremendously since it became a charter school,” stated Aaliyah Thompson.

“It is a relief to know that my children will be able to pursue their education without the distraction that was caused by the proposals,” stated Sac High parent liaison Labeeba Rahman.

“I have one child at PS7 and another at Sac High.  Both of them are doing very well.  It was very troublesome to me that they would have been displaced or relocated had the proposed plans been implemented,” said Rahman.

Zachary Corbo, a senior at John F. Kennedy High School attended the board meeting in in his role as a district wide student representative as the President of the SCUSD Student Advisory Council.

In summarizing the events of the evening, Corbo stated, “The students and the community spoke and the Board listened.”

Editor's Note:  Edits have been made to this article after publishing.