10/10/2021
Beloved School Bids Farewell as it Closes Its Doors
Lorri Doll, Instructor, CSR 8555 and Bonnie Chufar, Program Director, CSR 6716
- Special to ‘CRB Today’ -https://courtreportersboard.ca.gov/formspubs/summer_2021.pdf
It is with deep sadness that we are sharing information about the slated closure of Argonaut Court Reporting in September
2021. The perfect storm of decreased state funding, increased student fees, and our administration’s misperception of a
severe decline in job opportunities, have led up to this closure. And, of course, COVID-19 also played a role.
For many years, student fees have climbed, and for the year 2020–21, they became quite high. The availability of online
programs at significantly lower cost, sometimes even free, offered students some great options. As Argonaut transitioned to
distance learning because of COVID-19, about half the student population transferred to more affordable programs offered
online. In this make-or-break year, the enrollment needed to grow, but, unfortunately, it declined by more than half. Limited
program starts hampered the instructors’ efforts to recruit new students, and by January 2021, it became apparent that a
decision had been made to phase out the court reporting program.
What started in 1964 in the basement of Argonaut High School by Louise Reardon grew to be part of the Sacramento
City Unified School District’s Skills and Business Center in 1966–67. Many area court reporters will fondly remember
the classrooms at the old state fair site on Stockton Boulevard. In 2000, a new building on Lemon Hill Avenue housed
Argonaut, with its “big room” and adjacent dictation rooms. The new name of the school became Charles A. Jones Career
and Education Center.
Through the years, it is estimated that well over 1,000 reporters mastered the skill of stenography through Argonaut Court
Reporting. The name has remained the same, and, fittingly, Argonaut means voyager. That is exactly what reporters do,
travel all over to serve the public.
Here are some sentiments from three of the teachers who have been there most recently:
Tami Faughn: “What an incredible opportunity Argonaut has given me. From student to reporter to teacher, I cherish the
opportunities and the lifelong friendships it has given me. I’m forever grateful for getting to be a part of Argonaut. The void
this closure leaves in our local reporting community is profound.”
Lorri Doll: “Like Tami, I have been at Argonaut as a student, a reporter, and a teacher. Never in a million years as a student
would I have thought I would be a teacher at the same school I could not wait to finish. Over the last 18 years, it has been
my honor to help people become court reporters. Hearing the words ‘I passed!’ has always felt amazing.”
Bonnie Chufar: “It has been an incredible ride for almost 24 years at Argonaut. Words cannot express my gratitude and
appreciation for how my life has been touched through every student who has come through our doors. It’s been an honor
to serve each of them. There have been 16 dedicated teachers who poured their hearts and souls into the program, making
Argonaut what it is today, and I want to thank all of them. In closing, it has been an honor and a privilege to serve our
students, the community, as well as all of you. Argonaut will live on in our hearts forever, and may its legacy be carried on
through those lives we have touched and through our students who have become reporters.”
Something we collectively have said at graduations, “Once an Argonaut, always an Argonaut” is so true. Many of our
alumni have come back as speakers, mentors, supporters, and scholarship providers. This has been especially important to
the program as a means of providing current information and real-life experiences for our students. The court reporting
community has always been there for us, and it is with our deepest appreciation that we say a very sad goodbye.
Some of Argonaut’s memorabilia will be on display in Dom Tursi’s The Gallery of Shorthand in New York.
