Dear MTUESD community,
Welcome back! We hope you enjoyed your family time and a break from the rhythm of school. We are hopeful that the run of sickness that many of our families experienced before the holidays is over. Just a reminder, your student must be fever-free for 24 hours to return to school with no vomiting or diarrhea within the last 24 hours. I thank the custodians who cleaned the sites over the holiday break as we tried to get the upper hand on that germ cycle!
We have a lot of updates on projects. The playgrounds are awaiting pricing repairs at Mark Twain for kinder and elementary to replace component pieces (NOT full replacement) prior to the flooring material and will be reviewed by the board tonight. The poured In place at Copperopolis is ready to go once outdoor temperatures stabilize. That will be for the large playground only. We had a tree stump removed to prepare that area. Ideas are being discussed about the smaller playground. At Mark Twain, we had to take out one of the trees in the kindergarten yard that had a root that would impede the resurfacing. We will replace that shade with umbrella tables as the weather heats up.
You will notice some new tables out and about at Mark Twain and the gym at Copper has been shored up and is safe. We just need to figure out the solution to fix it. We are working on that with the engineers.
New water dispensers were installed in the Copperopolis gym and the junior high wing at MT. The one at the junior high had been damaged in prior years due to vandalism and the student body has been much more respectful this year, so we are giving it another shot. I hope they take care of it and I expect they will.
Thank you to everyone that participated in the calendar survey. We will be working with neighboring districts on calendar discussions. We really roll with Brett Hart’s decision as so many of our families have students in both systems that we need to be considerate about it. Also having been a former high school superintendent, I understand that a high school student is dealing with credits and graduation requirements and that will take precedence over an elementary family members’ calendar. We will see what we can do.
A huge shout out to the collaborative middle school music program. We received a nice article in the Calaveras Enterprise regarding that. It is a great partnership for our kids and for the Bret Harte system as they grow their music program
Information sheets on the parcel tax will be coming out soon. This is a $65 fee that is on a tax bill once a year for four years. This is to stabilize our programs and support our students' education at a level that is trying to be comparable with neighboring districts. There is a senior citizen exemption. It is super important, that if this is important to the community that you galvanize and pass it.
I don’t have a lot of ways to increase income, but I do have ways to stabilize the budget and that’s not fun, as the only way is to cut. We will be placing a large number of certificated layoffs on the board agenda tonight with the hope we can restore positions as funding becomes available. We will not be taking as many positions as shown on the agenda, but we have to create what’s called the bump path for the people with seniority. This is the worst part of my job and I just want everyone to understand that it is one of those structural problems of school districts facing declining enrollment. If we want to change the path, we need to increase our income.
Other work over the holiday period included repainting one of the café walls at MT in preparation for a logo installation. Again, I want to stress that these types of funds do not compete with funds for kids as they are restricted and cannot be used in the classroom.
I would like to thank our Athletic Director, Eric Peters, Sam Austin, and all of the coaches that have collaborated on a gym schedule that provides time for both sites. I know that’s a heavy task in this community where sports are so very important. It speaks highly of the coaches, the community, and the program that this collaborative schedule could happen. Well done!
Mark your calendar for the ELAC meeting on January 14 at 5:30 in the library. A light dinner is served and all are welcome! Our bond oversight committee is scheduled for January 28 at 5:15 in the district board room. Join us!
Please note that School is off on January 20 in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King.
Have a safe and happy weekend! As always, my door is open. Let me know how we can help kids!
Sincerely yours,
Louise Simson, Superintendent