Dear MTUESD Community,
I have only been with you since July 8, but I kind of count one year like a dog year and it’s worth seven. The team has repainted the schools, made sure they are clean and raked, repaired siding on buildings, installed a new signage program, received a grant for $40,000 to teach basic values about being kind and respectful, positioned our buildings to receive state funding, increase attendance to above 94% of both sites, and now we are exploring a parcel tax because I just can’t close a funding gap when we’ve lost 40 kids which is the loss of almost $500,000 annually. I appreciate all the partnership, kindness, and support that you have shown me and our staff, and I am grateful.
We have two teachers that moved from a world away to come and help our kids. We have veteran teachers that are going above and beyond to do the right thing to support our program and make sure everybody’s on the same page. We have an Athletic Director that basically doesn’t have a life because he wants to make sure that your kids have the sports experiences that they deserve. If you put a bunch of hamsters on a wheel and ran and ran and ran and ran, that’s what we’re doing right now. It’s working right now, but it’s hard.
The state and the federal government have a fundamental problem that is wrong about how they fund schools. We live in a district that is under funded between $5,000 and $10,000 compared to the neighboring districts of Vallecito and Bret Harte. That’s not casting any shade on those districts. They are well run and great for kids. It’s how the tax model works, and our district has very low turnover on properties and low assessed valuations that leaves our kids behind and behind and behind. People say to me why don’t you join these districts and unify? Let me ask you a question. If you had $100 and somebody said let me share your hundred dollars would you do it? The answer is no. The only people that are going to be able to fix this large funding gap are the voters of this district. The governing board will be considering a resolution about a parcel tax. They may or may not decide to move forward. But the only chance there will ever be equity in this district is if our Copperopolis and Angels Camp residents finally say enough is enough and we need to do it at the local level. It truly is a local voter decision regarding funds that the state can never take away.
I don’t know the answer folks. Often, I get furious about how this system works. I am a known and unwanted voice with various powerful lobbying organizations throughout Sacramento, who dread my calls and emails, but always return them, but let’s face it—education is a business. A lot of contractors like lobbyists, congressional advisors, etc. make a lot of money off of kids that go to school in a district like ours. They don’t understand what Angels Camp and Copperopolis look like and frankly, they could really care less. Our kids are getting left behind because our school district isn’t basic aid like our neighboring partners of Vallecito and Bret Harte, and we don’t have a voice in Sacramento. If you want that to change, it requires a local vote to change it and put the money directly into the schools. We have two neighboring districts that can out fund us by almost 30% per kid. How the heck do we expect our kids to compete?
I don’t know the answer. If this is going to change in this district, it needs to come at the local level and with the full heart and intention that our kids deserve an equal chance. If you have an opinion on this matter one way or the other, please come to the board meeting on December 17 at 5:30 p.m. and review the information with the board to place a $65 annual fee for four years on the tax bill and give us your opinion on best avenues to proceed. I don’t have a lot of avenues to increase income. I write grants. I do the very best I can, but when it comes to closing the budget gap, my choice is one, it’s cuts. That’s the worst answer ever when you don’t have much to cut when you’re living so close to the bone, but that’s what we do. Let us know how you wanna roll. If we decide to move forward, it’s gonna be all hands on deck on this one. You’re going to have to work the streets in the neighborhood about why this is important.
On a very positive note, I want to thank the congregation at Refuge for the amazing dinners that they provided for our families. I appreciated the collaboration of Sam Austin, who navigated the routes because I can't find my way out of a brown paper bag and drove with me throughout the district to deliver those dinners. It was a beautiful thing. I also want to celebrate the collaboration with Bret Harte and David Allard on a seventh and eighth grade after school music program to give our students exposure to instruments before they reach the high school level. We are grateful to Bret Harte for this opportunity which is being funded out of their budget.
Wishing you and your family a tremendous Thanksgiving. I am so grateful to be here, and I thank you for your trust and partnership. No matter what goes down we take care of kids. Now is the time to say what you want. As I said to someone the other day, I always tell you the truth. We are at a really critical juncture here. I always can balance a budget. It’s just not always great for kids.
Tell us how you want this to roll.
Sincerely yours,
Louise Simson, Superintendent
650-996-3290