Trustees and district leaders told the board on Nov. 13 that a trip to Sacramento to present the district’s decade‑long unification petition ended with a continuance from the state board of education rather than a denial.

Superintendent Cortez said district leaders, legal counsel and financial analysts presented a 10‑minute package of testimony and data. Afterward, Mike Fine of FICMAT recommended a path forward of dual unification involving the Greenfield district and its high school partner and the King City Elementary District. "We did not hear an absolute no," Cortez said, adding that the state board "said we will continue this" and assigned the Monterey County committee to work with all three districts.

Board members and staff described coordinated testimony from the district and South Monterey County Joint Union High School District as persuasive. The superintendent said the state board ‘‘leaned in’’ during testimony and that the outcome — a continuance — was the best possible immediate result.

The district will continue planning and coordination with the county office and neighboring districts; the state board did not set a final decision date. The board’s next procedural step is to follow the county’s work and report back to the board as county‑level discussions proceed.