Dear MTUESD Community,
Such a busy week of events. Congratulations to both schools for their outstanding Trunk or Treat events. It was an amazing time had by all and so accessible for all families to participate with no admission charged. Thank you for your time and effort for the kids to all who made that possible. And a shout out to the leadership class and Michelle Whitear for another middle school dance opportunity in the cafeteria at Mark Twain. The students that I talked to before the dance were eagerly awaiting the event and the team had done a great job decorating. We appreciate their hard work and effort and the commitment of Miss Whitear in this program
Candidates Night was held at the auditorium. I thank and appreciate all the community members that have stepped up to run for our school board. I want to reiterate that so many things are going right in our school district. We've had a rough patch post-Covid, but things have calmed down in many aspects and we certainly look better in facilities and in relationship with our families. It's only going to go upward ahead. I continue to thank the parents for their willingness to sit down and work through issues and we look forward to improved academics ahead. What we speak is who we are. Be positive, be hopeful, be excited. Good stuff is happening.
I often hear questions about our funding model and the difference between our district and Vallecito. Vallecito is funded under basic aid and operates with a budget of approximately $12 million serving just 590 students. Mark Twain Union has a budget of $12 million dollars as well under the LCFF model serving 730 students.
What that means folks is VUSD can spend up to $20,339 per kid, while we can only spend $16,438. THAT IS NOT RIGHT, but that’s our state system. There are ways to fix that though, and the Board will be exploring the idea of a parcel tax to be used to fund programs (NOT BUILDINGS) at the next board meeting on November 14. The meeting opens at 4:45 and reconvenes to open the session at 5:30, so join us then to learn more. Essentially, it would be a special election to have each parcel pay a $50-$100 fee extra to support the two schools over the next four or five years. It would help, but it is a risk as we would need to pay for the mail in the election and also receive a two thirds vote for passage. Come and learn more with ALL OF US, as we explore options on how to create equity for our kids in this district and in this corridor. The Bret Harte budget is almost $17 million dollars. Something has to shift for our kids... There's very few ways for me to get more money and the only way to manage expenses is to cut and that is not comfortable, when we don't have much to cut. I don't know if this is the answer, but I know we need to do something and a thoughtful discussion needs to be held on all the options.
We are applying for the Sierra K-16 grant to provide a peer tutoring program. This is primarily a high school pathway grant, but our kids need the support in elementary school in order to reach their pathways when they hit high school. I appreciate the partnership of Bret Harte, CCOE and our union partners on this opportunity as they provided a letter of support.
We are also writing a grant for community schools. School districts in past rounds received a planning grant for this, but as it is the last year the funding is available, we're going to jump right in for the implementation grant. Unfortunately, the state is giving preference to those schools in the planning stage, but we are going to write a compelling case for funding. I've been successful in receiving these before, but the state's finances are tight, so we will see what happens. I have been asking for and holding meetings with staff, parent groups and local community groups to gather input. If you are interested in talking with me or dropping me a note about the two strengths of the school system and your one area of hope for growth, please do! My email is lsimson@mtwain.k12.ca.us. The community input is a huge part of justifying the grant in the paperwork, so an email to me can really help the cause. Plus, it is important for me to know what is on your mind!
Signage and logo packages will be installed on November 7. This is the last of our reimagining work for right now. I was super impressed that the students are maintaining the culture of cleanliness. The litter on our sites has diminished considerably. People feel better when they go to places that look better and I'm proud of the kids for their part and taking care of their facility. A shout out to our hardworking custodial and maintenance staff too!
As you know, we have been doing a number of walk-throughs related to potential pathways for building funding. I received the first structural report and we are going to begin the rigorous process to get some of our buildings identified for state seismic funding replacement. This is no easy walk, but I've done it before and we can do it again. It will be a several year process. More news on that to follow.
We received the prices on the Poured in Place for the Playground. This would replace the rubber bark that the cats use as a litter box. It is a very expensive process, so I'm working with our team on if it's feasible and how to do it. The material is used very commonly in playgrounds and is safe and also much more cleanly, as it can just be washed off rather than individual pieces of material that can not. The thing is it is a 10 year product, so we have to make sure our playgrounds are worth the investment. Copper is good to go on the main structure, but we need to be thoughtful on the other playgrounds. (The Junior High playground at MT is outside of the scope due to age). More news to follow.
On the academic front, please sign your student up for after-school support. We have some mechanisms to give additional tutoring and we need the partnership of everyone working together to get kids in those programs. Reach out to your students' teacher or the office for information related to that.
Our first ELOP full day program to the zoo is scheduled for Friday. Thank you to our ELOP team for creating that adventure for students. I did have a conversation with the head of ELOP in Sacramento about our need for additional core teachers during the day and how we could shift that money to make that happen. He was completely sympathetic to my problem and told me that his own daughter had to be removed from public school and placed in private school because she didn't know how to read in the eighth grade. He agreed with my dilemma, but at this point it's going to take legislative action to change the pathway for the money. We're going have to fight for that. We are going to make a little good trouble!
Please remember November 1, is a no school day! See you on Monday. Last note, sometimes I hear these messages are a little long. I apologize. My feeling is I need to tell you what is happening for your kids. You have the choice whether to read it or not. No offense either way.
Sincerely yours,
Louise Simson, Superintendent
650-996-3290