What's today's lesson? Get this:
Since 1998, the state of California, recognizing the need to support small rural schools, has provided extra funding to sustain those which are deemed to be "necessary small schools." These are schools that need to have small populations, usually because they are in sparsely populated areas or serve special populations. Such schools receive extra funding because they cannot realize economies of scale.
Is our Silverado Elementary School one such "necessary small school"?
Could it be that OUSD has overlooked this program as a solution to the crisis facing Silverado Elementary School?
One would hope that the elected public officials and the district leadership would have exhausted all options before voting to close the school which has served this community for 103 years.
You decide.
Peruse the relevant section of Ed Code below.
California Education Code Section 42283
(a) For the purposes of Section 42282, a "necessary small school" is an elementary school with an average daily attendance of less than 101, exclusive of pupils attending the seventh and eighth grades of a junior high school, maintained by a school district which maintains two or more schools and to which school any of the following conditions apply:
(1) If as many as five pupils residing in the district and attending kindergarten and grades 1 to 8, inclusive, exclusive of pupils attending the seventh and eighth grades of a junior high school in the elementary school with an average daily attendance of less than 101 would be required to travel more than 10 miles one way from a point on a well-traveled road nearest their home to the nearest other public elementary school.
(2) If as many as 15 pupils residing in the district and attending kindergarten and grades 1 to 8, inclusive, exclusive of pupils attending the seventh and eighth grades of a junior high school in the elementary school with an average daily attendance of less than 101 would be required to travel more than five miles one way from a point on a well-traveled road nearest their home to the nearest other public elementary school.
(3) If topographical or other conditions exist in a district which would impose unusual hardships if the number of miles specified in paragraph (1) or (2) were required to be traveled, or if during the fiscal year the roads which would be traveled have been impassable for more than an average of two weeks per year for the preceding five years, the governing board of the district may, on or before April 1, request the Superintendent of Public Instruction, in writing, for an exemption from these requirements or for a reduction in the miles required. The request shall be accompanied by a statement of the conditions upon which the request is based, giving the information in a form required by the Superintendent of Public Instruction. The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall cause an investigation to be made, and shall either grant the request to the extent he or she deems necessary, or deny the request.
(b) For the 1998-99 fiscal year and each fiscal year thereafter, a "necessary small school," as defined in subdivision (a), shall be an elementary school with an average daily attendance of less than 101 reduced by the statewide average rate of excused absence reported for elementary school districts for the 1996-97 fiscal year pursuant to Section 42238.7, rounded to the nearest integer.
And how about these figures:
Necessary Small Schools: The Allowance for Necessary Small Schools is based on the combination of ADA and the number of full-time teachers (for elementary schools) or the number of certificated employees (for high schools), whichever provides the lesser amount. The allowance amounts, shown in the following tables, reflect the 5.66 percent COLA for 2008-09:
For a school of Silverado's size:
Number of Teachers: 4
Average daily Attendance: 73-96
Amount to be Computed: $531,500
We'll be meeting on Monday June 8 at 8 AM at Silverado to discuss these matters and others. Hope to see some of you there!
Please note: at the last board meeting Silverado Elementary School was singled out for praise. Check out a pic of the slide shown to the audience in the "Points of Pride" slideshow.
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Sounds like you guys did the district's homework for them - hope it's not too late!
ReplyDeleteSuggestion: include the Obama administration in your letters. I realize its jumping the chain of command but education IS a high priority with this administration. It can't hurt.
ReplyDeleteBrad Jensen
Cypress, CA
born and raised in SoCal and was there in the Albertson's parking lot when it was announced you folks could go home after the fires last year =)
Are you suggesting that OUSD dropped the ball?
ReplyDeleteSurprise, surprise.
(Good suggestion Brad Jensen, though I think the President perhaps is too busy to pay attention to our little crisis - still, couldn't hurt.)
IF it turns out that Silverado could have benefited from these funds, the trustees should hold the super and the district employees responsible for this grievious oversight.
ReplyDeleteI think we should write letters asking them if they knew about the prorgam and applied for the funds - or not.
ReplyDeleteI would like to know what they know and what they did - if anything.
The Save Silverado Commitee is looking into this necessary small schools program, as well as whether it was applied for by ousd or not.
ReplyDeleteposted by a committe member - it is weird that most of us remain anonymous on these posts. "paranoia strikes deep ..." (buffalo springfield)
Great job!! I wanted to share a resource. This isn't just happening to our little area - it's an epidemic occurring throughout the US. Obama should know about it and help us!
ReplyDeletewww.news.cornell.edu/Chronicle/05/3.24.05/rural_school_benefit.html
An interesting article - Cohesive Communities, Improved Outcomes: A Case for Small Schools. This article discusses that Small School are actually cost effective in the grand scheme of things. Written by Canadian researchers but they reference US throughout the article. www.realrenewal.org/dbdocs//47af87d2ea983.pdf
ReplyDeleteNo outcry on this because there is NO COVERAGE of it because our newspapers have deserted us. And the politicans will take full advanatge of this - just watch. The politicans that run the OUSD (and that's what they are) - know this. There isn't anyone to hold them accountable - and they don't have any ethical standards - they just protect themselves and their own self-intersts. How many will show up on Thursday to close down the school?
ReplyDeleteIn NY, when the school board proposes the closure/ consolidation of a small school, the board must weigh the effect it has on the community through a "State Environmental Quality Review." (Community that loses it's school must be migated for its losses and justly compensated).
ReplyDelete6/5 Rick Ledesma responds to email of 5/7 (my response follows his):
ReplyDeleteI am responding to your email on behalf of the Board of Education to let you
know that due to the dire consequences of the fiscal crisis that the District is
currently facing, it is not possible to revisit the action taken to close
Silverado Elementary School at this time. I understand how passionately the
Silverado community feels about the closure; however, the Board must do what is
best for the entire school District and the budget it operates under, and most
importantly, what is best for our students. These are unprecedented times and
unprecedented decisions must be made. Unfortunately, the District is looking at
additional budget shortfalls in the upcoming school year, which only means more
difficult decisions will yet, again, have to be made. Employee's livelihoods
are at stake; class size reduction will no longer be; educational programs are
in jeopardy; and the list goes on. This is not a good time for public
education.
>
> But, I firmly believe, that if we have the support of the community, parents,
and staff to work together to find solutions to provide our children with the
best education possible, we will have succeeded in our job. Our students
deserve a learning environment that will nurture their imagination, pique their
curiosity and allow them to discover the many wonders of education. It is our
intent to provide all students with the same opportunities for them to achieve
and be successful.
>
> I appreciate your sharing your concerns; I hope you understand my perspective.
My response:
Ms. Topor, please thank Rick Ledesma for at least responding to my concerns. I
do not understand his perspective and just wonder how he would feel if it was
his child's school that they were closing? If his first grade daughter had to
ride 10+ miles to school on a dangerous road with high schoolers? Would he be
happy about that? Has the OUSD really done all they can do - in the most
fiscally responsible manner and could our school have been spared for only one
more year? This is such a tragedy.
Also, I would like to ask how much money is spent on free breakfast and lunch?
Bilingual education? This should be public information and perhaps you can tell
me where to look? How much is summer school costing the district and what is
the criteria for a child that would attend? In other words, are we providing
additional instruction for kids that are excelling or those that are failing?