News and Updates from the Little School on the Mountain

It was a crisp, overcast day here on the mountain.  Last night's rain cleared out the sky and washed the trees clean.  We have some truly incredible redwoods here at Bonny Doon School (see above-those are ours!).  Most days, the students prefer to run around in the trees instead of playing on the play structure.  Their play is so imaginative, and they are constantly running around, keeping active.   The children that attend school here truly appreciate the beautiful environment in which they live.

On that note, for those of you who don't already know, Bonny Doon has been selected by the Monterey Bay Fund and the Offset Project as a model, proof-of-concept school and to be the first school to receive support and funding from these nonprofits to go solar.  We are putting the finishing touches on a financing package right now, and we hope to have solar panels installed by the end of the summer, if not sooner.  We are already a Waste Free School, and next year we will begin work to become a Certified Green Business.  Our students learn how important it is to be good stewards of their environment, and it's wonderful to see how well they take care of their school.

 So, how about some updates.  

Budget:  The Governor is poised to sign SB 81, a bill that restores the transportation cut for this year and implements an across-the-board cut of $42 per pupil.  This means that instead of being cut $21,000 for this year, we will only be cut about $5,000.  It's a dark day when you find yourself cheering over a $5,000 cut, but that's what we're reduced to these days!  The full, permanent cut to transportation beginning next school year is still expected to go through, resulting in a yearly loss of $42,000 for our district.  If you have feelings about this, please email the Governor.  It is due to the outpouring from the public that restored this year's cut, so we all can make a difference!

Technology:  A few months ago, I wrote a grant to the Santa Cruz County Office of Education for funds to take four teachers to the Computer Using Educators (CUE) conference this year.  This is an amazing conference with hundreds of workshops to choose from over three days in March.  We are very lucky to have teachers here that are willing to step out of their comfort zone and continue to learn and grow in this area.  I know that we will come back inspired and ready to try some new ideas that will benefit all of our students. 

Money, money, money, going, going, gone...

I am guessing that everyone reading this is aware of the troubles facing California's schools these days.  Budgets have been slashed in response to the draconian cuts imposed by the state.  Schools have lost valuable programs and personnel over the last few years, and even more cuts are on the way.  In addition to a cut of $370 per pupil for the next school year (about $44,000 for our school), Governor Brown's proposed budget includes the complete elimination of transportation funding for schools for next year and forever after.  Small, rural schools like Bonny Doon (our cut will be over $41,000) will take a completely inequitable hit with this proposal (you can read more about this in an article recently published by California Watch.  Our school is one of the schools featured, with a wonderful picture of our bus driver, Petra! Here is the link:  http://californiawatch.org/dailyreport/rural-schools-struggle-keep-buses-running-14340).  Our students, along with many students in other rural areas, cannot walk or ride their bikes to school; the distance is too great, and the roads are not safe.  David Walrath, school finance guru and THE expert on small school district finance, in particular, calls the Governor's proposal, "A war on rural school districts."  In a webinar after the budget proposal was announced, he emphasized that this cut will disproportionately hurt rural school districts, poor school districts, and districts with large numbers of special education students (districts are required to provide transportation for some special education students).

Bonny Doon School strives to be environmentally conscious in many different ways.  We are a Waste Free school, we recycle and reuse, and we are going solar.  When our bus was purchased, we chose a propane bus in order to reduce emissions.  If we are forced to eliminate our bus service, all of those families will need to drive to school.  In addition to increasing traffic on the roads (who knows what the parking lot will be like every day), at least 25-35 more cars will be driving up and down the mountain, spewing pollution into the air.

So, that's the bad news.  The good news is, the budget has not yet passed.  We still have time to write Governor Brown and our state legislators and let them know how the transportation cut will hurt our school.  They need to hear personal stories that really give them an idea of the impact this cut will have on real families.  Honestly, I don't think they actually have any idea of all the ramifications of this cut.  I hope some of you will take the time to email Governor Brown and your area's legislators. They need to hear from you how the elimination of transportation will affect your family.  Perhaps if there is an uproar from the communities around the state, this cut will be taken out of the budget.  We can only hope!

In the meantime, all of us who work at Bonny Doon School will continue to dedicate ourselves to our students.  We will continue to provide a rich and meaningful education for each and every one of them.  I love my job as superintendent/principal.  It can be an enormous challenge, but it also brings such joy to my life.  Whatever happens with the budget, we will persevere, as we always do.  We will be forced to make some changes, but we will do so with our students at the forefront of our minds at all times. I am completely confident that we will make it through these times if we keep our focus on what is most important.  Putting our students first; this is our moral imperative.  Please join me in encouraging the leaders of our state to do the same.

Welcome!

This is my first post, so welcome and thanks for logging on!  As you may have read in my profile, I am the Superintendent/Principal of Bonny Doon Union Elementary School District, a small, one school district in the Santa Cruz mountains.  Since I started here almost three years ago, I have said that this is the best job I have ever had.  Being a superintendent/principal is challenging, all-consuming work, but the children and adults at Bonny Doon School make it all worthwhile.  The gorgeous setting in the redwoods also makes it easy to come to work each day.

We have so many exciting things going on here, and I hope to share some of them with you as the school year goes on.  One very exciting development is the beginning of our science lab remodel.  We have received approval to remodel one of our classrooms into a science lab.  This new science classroom will be used regularly by our classroom teachers for their science lessons.  They will have easy access to everything they need to make science engaging and meaningful for their students.  The science room will also be used for our Life Lab program, and because we are installing kitchen facilities, our students will be able to cook and eat what they grow in the garden!  Our science committee is also making plans to invite local scientists to host monthly or bimonthly presentations in their areas of expertise.  These sessions will be held in our new science room and we plan to invite our families as well as Bonny Doon community members to join us in learning about new and interesting areas in science!

                                                     Raccoons are our Bonny Doon School mascots.
                                                     This is Rascal the raccoon.