The board will meet for a closed session at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 23, before the public portion of the meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the Dr. Peter J. Quartarolo Board Room at the district office, located at 4410 Konocti Road. The meeting could move to the Tom Aiken Student Center at Kelseyville High School, 5480 Main St., if there is a large audience.
The full agenda can be found on the district’s website.
While the practice of offering proclamations is extremely common for all levels of local government, the proclamation being brought forward this week at Kelseyville Unified is viewed by opponents as a coordinated attack on the name of Kelseyville.
The proclamation comes as a group calling itself “Citizens for Healing” has a pending application before the U.S. Board of Geographic Names seeking that the name of Kelseyville be changed to “Konocti.” The district, however, has insisted that the two matters are not connected.
The minutes of the district’s March 19 regular board meeting show that the proclamation honoring Indigenous people and lands originally was proposed by Trustee Gilbert Rangel, who is the clerk of the board.
“Clerk Rangel discussed the idea to generate this proclamation stemmed from high school graduation and its public speakers, wanting to carry more depth and significance to represent the indigenous land and Native American demographics. He indicated it is not a political issue, not to cause a division with the populations, rather to unite. He made an open invitation to fulfill the proclamation by fellow KVUSD Board Members, the Superintendent, and the Public.”
Rangel’s presentation was followed by comments from seven individuals, some identifying as Native American, some not, who offered support for the idea, and emphasized they were not taking sides.
One of the speakers, Beniakem Cromwell, a former Kelseyville Unified Board member who now serves as tribal chair of the Robinson Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians, thanked Rangel and said, according to the minutes, that the proclamation “is not to fight, rather only to heal.”
Following the discussion and public input, board members said they felt the draft proclamation was “well written and thought out. The Board discussed to provide [sic] feedback regarding the Proclamation statements and individually report to Clerk Rangel with any statement recommendations,” the minutes said.
The belief that the proclamation and the name change are connected appears to have arisen because that initial version of the proclamation, discussed at the March meeting, has language that can be interpreted as suggesting that the district was supporting changing the town’s name.
In reference to the several tribes native to Lake County, that initial version of the proclamation stated in its next-to-last paragraph, “let it be recognized that this district will not be able to fully and truly honor the citizens of these nations and their ancestors who lived here for generations for as long as it bears a name that for those citizens and their ancestors represent a painful past.”
Additionally, that original proclamation ended by urging “positive action on this proclamation by residents, local businesses, educators, community and faith-based organizations, and district employees.”
Numerous community members, discussing the matter on the “Save Kelseyville” Facebook page, have posted emails they’ve sent to board members in the weeks since opposing the proclamation as it was originally worded and rallying community members to attend this week’s board meeting.
The controversy led the school district on April 17 to post a graphic that said “Correcting misinformation,” along with the following message on its Facebook page: “At its April meeting, the Kelseyville Unified School District board will discuss whether to adopt a resolution that recognizes, expresses appreciation for, and honors indigenous peoples who have an historic relationship with the lands of the district. The resolution also respectfully invites our community to join in this effort towards healing and reconciliation. The resolution does NOT address the issue of whether to change the name of our town. KVUSD does not take sides on political issues. We serve all Kelseyville students.”
Along with that post was an updated version of the proclamation that shows that the paragraph about the district not being able to “fully and truly honor” Indigenous peoples while the town bears a name that represents a painful past has been removed.
A new paragraph was inserted that says “this district acknowledges that its name represents a painful past for citizens of these nations and their ancestors who have lived here for generations.”
The new document, like the former version, commits the district to conducting a land acknowledgement “at every major event of importance including graduations.”
It also speaks about building awareness of Indigenous people and promoting the “continued unification of the community.”
The updated proclamation now ends by stating, “the Kelseyville Unified School District Governing Board invites our community to join in this effort towards healing and reconciliation.”
The full text of the updated resolution follows.
RESOLUTION 23/24-19
RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE
KELSEYVILLE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
FOR HEALING AND RECONCILIATION WITH INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND LANDS
WHEREAS, the Kelseyville Unified School District’s jurisdiction as an educational institution along with its administrative and educational facilities sits on the land that is the ancestral and traditional territory of diverse indigenous nations and we strive to honor these peoples; and
WHEREAS, the Kelseyville Unified School District acknowledges the painful, tragic, and traumatic history of genocide and forced removal from this land, we honor the indigenous people still connected to this land where we live, work, and learn; and
WHEREAS, the Kelseyville Unified School District sits in the land of what was known to the indigenous people as the sacred mountain of Kno’Qoti, and this area Kelseyville Unified School District occupies, comprises in part the lands originally cared for by and home to the Elemi, Habematolel, Shigom, Wilokyomi, Xa-Ben-Na-Po, and Ye-Mah-Bax; and
WHEREAS, this district acknowledges that its name represents a painful past for citizens of these nations and their ancestors who have lived here for generations; and
WHEREAS, Kelseyville Unified School District extends our deepest respect to citizens of these nations who live here and elsewhere today and their ancestors who lived here for generations; and
WHEREAS, The Kelseyville Unified School District will announce a Land Acknowledgement at every major event of importance including graduations; and
WHEREAS, the Kelseyville Unified School District will seek to build the district’s cultural richness by fostering and promoting education and awareness of our indigenous peoples; and
WHEREAS, Kelseyville Unified School District recognizes that in the pursuit of honoring healing and reconciliation, we commit to promoting the continued unification of the community, together.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the Kelseyville Unified School District formally recognizes, expresses appreciation for, and honors indigenous peoples who have a historic relationship with the lands of the district; and
FURTHER, the Kelseyville Unified School District Governing Board respectfully invites our community to join in this effort towards healing and reconciliation.
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