Leading Through School Closures, Mergers, and Consolidations

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Registration for this program is currently open. Scroll down to learn more, or click here to sign up.

As school districts across California grapple with declining enrollment and financial challenges, many are forced to consider school closures, consolidations, or mergers. School site leaders shoulder the responsibility of guiding their communities through these changes, centering equity and our most vulnerable students.

Leading Through School Closures, Mergers, and Consolidations is a community of practice to support educational leaders as they navigate the closure, merger, or consolidation change process. This community of practice will explore the following topics:

  • The role of educational leaders in a school closure, merger, or consolidation
  • Strategic communications: leading change with internal conflict and competing interests
  • The do’s and don’ts in crisis and political management
  • Engaging community in decision-making with transparency
  • Historic, predictable and anticipated dilemmas in the school closure, merger, or consolidation processes
  • Equity metrics, assessment, and other considerations

Facilitator

Dr. Mia Settles-Tidwell is the founder and President/CEO of Set-Up for Success, a leading executive consulting organization. Formerly, she served in multiple executive roles as a vice president, university diversity officer, assistant vice chancellor, chief of staff, and chief operating officer in both the UC and CSU higher education systems, and TK–12. She has led and curated several change management initiatives, such as OUSD Strategic Regional Analysis and Equity-Based Budgeting System, UC Berkeley’s Fannie Lou Hamer Black Resource Center and Creating a Healthy Virtual Environment Guide, and Sacramento State’s Antiracism and Inclusive Campus Action Plan. Dr. Mia is a writer for justice and author of Unscathed: A Harm Reduction Strategy for Women of Color in the Workplace and articles, book chapters, and campus messages for social justice. She is an accomplished and nationally sought after executive coach, thought leader, adjunct professor, speaker, and organizational health consultant.

Session calendar 

This offering will be eight 1.5-hour time blocks over the course of four months (February–May 2025). We want to ensure that we meet at times that work best for leaders. After registering for the offering, you will receive an email with a survey to indicate your preferred meeting days and times.

Who should participate?

Site leaders whose schools are being considered for closure, merger, or consolidation.

Cost

21CSLA programs are free to participants employed in Title II districts and schools in six Bay Area counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Solano.

Click here to see schools served by the 21CSLA grant. If you do not see your school, district, or charter system, please contact us at 21csla_bayarea@berkeley.edu

Registration

Click here to register.

Questions?

Contact us at 21csla_bayarea@berkeley.edu