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Beginning in August, the district assembled a committee tasked with preparing for the 2011-12 school year by looking at potential school reconfigurations, as Lake County News has reported.
At that time, the school district had wanted to have a decision made by the end of the year because, as Board President Rick Winer explained Tuesday night, if schools or campuses were to be closed, portables moved or other reconfigurations taken, the district needed the approval of state officials.
But after district Director of Services Kyle Reams laid out five scenarios before the board and about 50 community members, Winer and his colleagues on the board – John DeChaine, Peter Quartarolo, Gary Olson and Chris Irwin – were unanimous in their opposition to closing any schools.
At the beginning of the meeting – at which no formal action was agendized, only discussion – district Chief Financial Officer Tiffany Kemp went over the district's declining enrollment, as well as its declining state revenue sources, noting the districts is “in some economic distress.”
Kemp explained that the state's recently approved budget has “some major dangerous assumptions” built into it, including a growth in expected revenues and several billion in cuts.
“Bottom line, it's going to continue to impact education, as we're one of the top three line items in the budget,” she said.
Beginning in the 2008-09 fiscal year, the district began to sustain a round of deep state budget cuts that, coupled with declining enrollment, has put the district into a deficit spending position, with only about $1.5 million expected to remain in the bank at the end of the 2010-11 year, Kemp said.
Enrollment for the district, Kemp said, is going to continue, with the district already down 20 students from the 2009-10 school year.
It was that kind of outlook that led to the reconfiguration discussion, and Reams, acting as the spokesman for the district configuration committee, explained the five scenarios.
In forming those five options, the committee – which Reams said met at least twice a month – explored ongoing financial savings and maximum program potential, as well as the impact on students, the community and businesses.
The scenarios
The first scenario would have created two K-6 schools – one at Kelseyville Elementary, one at Riviera Elementary – and Kelseyville High would have taken seventh through 12th grades. Mountain Vista Middle School would be closed as part of that option.
Total estimated savings with changes in staffing, utilities and maintenance totaled $178,727, said Reams.
Scenario two proposed combining Kelseyville Elementary and Mountain Vista Middle School to create a K-8 “super campus,” with Riviera Elementary closing.
Potential savings for the option was the greatest, at $412,284, Reams said.
However, it also brought with it a number of considerations that didn't have a price tag, from the roomful of concerned parents to committee findings that included a mixing of grade and maturity levels that Reams said “could be a dangerous thing for some kids.”
Riviera Elementary also is the only school in the district scoring above 800 in the state's Academic Performance Index. “The committee felt very strongly about that,” Reams said.
Reams said scenario three would create two K-8 sites, one at Kelseyville Elementary, one at Riviera Elementary, and close Mountain Vista Middle School, for a total estimated savings of $127,009.
In scenario four, there would be no campus configuration changes, said Reams. However, the district could consider leasing or selling other facilities, such as Gard Street, the historic Hells Bend School or the Main Street property across from the Two Jacks market, where the district already has a longterm lease with Lake Family Resource Center.
If Gard Street was sold, Reams said the educational programs located there would have to be move, as would the transportation bus yard and sports facilities. Overall, it offered the community and students the least upheaval.
However, Reams said just how much financial benefit is unclear without good appraisals, and estimates for how much lease income could result at Gard Street range between $10,000 and $200,000 annually, depending on how much of the property is leased out and for what.
The final and fifth scenario has no change whatsoever to any of the sites, with no sales or leasing of properties, although it could consider alternative uses for unused facilities, he said.
“The committee realizes the difficult decision facing the board,” said Reams, who thanked everyone for their efforts.
Winer said it was evident that a “tremendous amount of work” went into the report, and he commended the committee, leading the group in a round of applause.
The board responds
Winer first asked fellow board members if they had comments or questions.
Quartarolo also thanked the committee for doing “a heck of a job.”
He went on to say, “Unfortunately, this process, I think, generated a lot of unneeded concern amongst a lot of people in the public.”
Quartarolo said he had no interest in closing down Riviera Elementary, which drew a round of applause.
After being approached by many people concerned that the school might be closed, Quartarolo said, “I just want to let everybody know, that is the last thing I plan on approving.”
DeChaine said that without full projections for the state's situation, “We're not playing with a full set of facts.”
He echoed Quartarolo's sentiments about the concern and rumors generated about a proposal to close Riviera Elementary, which he said have been circulating in one form or another for some time.
DeChaine said it was important that the district had done a lot of work. “We have gathered the facts, we have put the details in place. It's something that we've been able to responsibly explore.”
Closing schools means disrupting families, businesses and the lives of children, who DeChaine said are supposed to feel as safe as possible. He said he doesn't support closing sites at this time.
Winer, an educator who has always worked in small districts, said they have before them a number of facts, but what can't be measured is the impact of taking away a community's schools. Looking at how student populations would balloon at some of the district's campuses, Winer said he can't support school closures.
“I don't see an urgency in closing any schools and disrupting both the students and the community, but I do see it was important that we went through this process,” he said.
Olson said he didn't want to formulate strong opinions before hearing from the community, but he believed that exploring the options was an important exercise because of the district's serious budget consequences.
“I obviously think we hit a nerve out in the Riviera community,” he said, noting he was there the day ground broke on the school.
Irwin said it was good to have the information and see the figures.
“This is just the beginning of a conversation,” said Irwin.
He said the community needs to address the budget challenge sooner or later if its schools are going to continue providing good product.
District Superintendent Dave McQueen said he appreciated the candor. “I think it's a really positive meeting tonight.”
No one has every really taken a look at the numbers that would accompany reconfiguration efforts, he said. “We are challenged, we are facing some pretty big deficits.”
McQueen said he believed that the board and community can come together to come up with conclusions that will be good for everyone.
Community greets board stance with relief
During public comment, Don Solomon, Riviera Elementary's teacher in charge, told the board, “I was very, very concerned about what was possibly going to occur tonight.”
He said closing schools would have bad effects, and he came prepared with a notepad filled with concerns and a willingness to rant and rave.
“Now I don't have to do it,” he said, acknowledging, “There was a lot of emotional turmoil out in that Riviera.”
Parent Rebecca Dierssen echoed Irwin's sentiments that sooner or later the board will have to look at some kind of cuts. “When is that sooner or later going to be?” she asked, inquiring if the scenarios were to be tabled.
Winer said they weren't going to be tabled, but that the board would take action on them at its regular board meeting Nov. 16.
“And then we're done,” until such a time as the district needs to revisit the options, Winer said.
Lake County Superintendent of Schools Wally Holbrook told the board, “The thing that is always common is that this community comes together around its students.”
He said the budget situation that districts are in won't be solved this fiscal year, and he urged them to keep option four open – selling or leasing properties – as he believed it could offer potential revenue if the timing is right.
Holbrook urged the district to look at sharing services with other districts – such as food service, maintenance and grounds – because he saw savings potential.
He also suggested that all districts look at health benefits and costs. “That's not an easy thing to do.”
Danielle Aragon, whose children attend both Riviera Elementary and Mountain Vista Middle School, said she felt compelled to get up and thank the board, pointing out that she doesn't hold back when pointing out negatives.
Aragon's voice broke as she thanked the district for the amount of work that went into exploring the options, saying she had no idea about the costs until seeing some of the figures.
She's left meetings previously feeling worried about Riviera Elementary, and said the Tuesday night meeting would have been a lot different if more people didn't feel positive.
She said of Riviera. “It's a place that we cherish.”
Irwin urged everyone to keep coming up with ideas to help the district address the “giant fiscal train” coming at it.
“We still have some real challenges ahead of us, so please stay involved,” he said.
Solomon said after the meeting that parents have been approaching him throughout the last month with their concerns that Riviera Elementary might close.
“I think these guys really cleared it up,” he said of the board, adding that he believes it will be a relief to the community.
The configuration reports can be found online at http://www.kusd.lake.k12.ca.us/#!/District/130233-Untitled.html .
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