PVUSD board was right to make cuts when they did
Brandon Diniz has written an impassioned guest Sentinel editorial; but he left out details on why the expediency, the reason for the cutbacks, and the continual disruption.
The District is required to submit their proposed budget now, not later. Without the proposed cuts, the District would not be certified by the State which would take over the District.
After COVID in 2020-21, the State increased the District Revenue by $100M for two years, roughly 40% each year. The District hired many permanent employees; they should have been temporary for two years. The District has to cut those that were hired. Over six years, enrollment has dropped over 20%. We need fewer teachers and staff.
The Dec. 11 meeting went for six hours. There was continual disruption by the audience and Mr. Diniz. He and the vocal audience were asked to be quiet, they were not. President Turley finally recessed the meeting and had the hall emptied. I invite you to watch this six-hour marathon on the District website. Judge for yourself.
Bill Beecher
Aptos
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Hed: Rudy Lopez, New School and a real-world math lesson
In 1994, when Watsonville was experiencing a serious rise in youth gang violence, the City of Watsonville, Santa Cruz County Probation and the Pajaro Valley Unified School District teamed up to start a school (New School) to take in some of the youth who had been expelled from other high schools and were just “in the streets.”
After a few tumultuous years bringing youth from both sides together, things settled down,
Then, in 1996, I took my New School students to the Watsonville Fire Department on Second Street for an educational tour. There I met fireman Rudy Lopez, who took an interest in my “second chance” high school students. I met with him later and he devised a simple algebraic formula which calculated how much hose pressure was necessary for the water to reach a certain height. I brought the students back a few weeks later, we sat inside and each student was given a different floor height for the window they would be spraying into. After a lot of head scratching and questions, they came up with their answer. They then went outside and each had a chance to test their own pressure settings by having a go at holding the hose and attempting to get water up to the right floor. It was a great engaging lesson which helped my students understand that maybe, sometimes, algebra was useful. As a bonus, two years later, one of our female students, who had come to us after being expelled from Aptos High School for knocking out a boy in a fistfight, went through Rudy’s Firefighter Explorers group and became a firefighter with the California Department of Forestry.
Thank you, Rudy!!
Don Eggleston
Aptos
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A proposal of restructure of Ceiba Charter School
Dear Michael Johns (President of Board of Trustees of Ceiba Charter School) and Josh Ripp (Head of School)
I am writing this proposal to you as a community member of Pajaro Valley who has advocated for an idea of bringing in the high school students of your School to PVUSD high schools as one of ways to increase PVUSD’s revenues to keep some positions, especially 15 full-time certificated counseling positions, which have been recommended to be cut. It will cost about $2 million dollars to keep those positions.
As you may remember, I advocate for Ceiba to be able to continue to operate in the current location on Locust Street in 2022–25.
I heard about this idea from a former teacher of Ceiba more than one year ago.
I asked Murry Schekman, previous interim Superintendent of PVUSD, what he thought about this idea. He agreed with this idea (I mentioned his name with his permission ). I have shared this idea with my friends in the community. This idea was published in the Pajaronian on Dec. 5.
I also spoke about this idea in my public comments in the PVUSD Board meeting on Dec. 11 and a special board meeting on Dec. 22.
Furthermore, I have shared this idea with PVUSD Superintendent Heather Contreras and several cabinet members as well as PVUSD Board President Trustee Carol Turley and other trustees.
I understand that you would be shocked to hear about this idea from me who worked with you for Ceiba to continue to operate in the current place on Locust Street. But I would be grateful if you would report to the board members and the members of your school community that the discussion on this idea has been already in public for discussion.
This idea is not to close down the entire Ceiba. The middle school of Ceiba will remain and be strengthened.
PVUSD helped Ceiba in various ways. I believe that it is time for Ceiba to help PVUSD.
Takashi Mizuno
Watsonville
