CLEARLAKE>>> This week at the Judge’s Breakfast in Clearlake five different district superintendents presented in the current state of their schools. Dr. Nicki Thomas from Kelseyville Unified, Becky Salato from Konocti Unified, Matthew Bullard from Lakeport, Jeff Crane from Middletown and Dr. Giovanni Annous from Upper Lake all shared their individual perspectives while echoing some of the same overall points.
Salato opened the floor, introducing her fellow superintendents jokingly calling them “superfriends” as they share an “amazing bond”. Salato stated “These people are incredible to work with. Our jobs are not easy and they make it look easy.”
Thomas presented first noting the similarities in her district to others as Kelseyville is at about 1,900 students of which a majority fall under the poverty line and also has a high number of Spanish speaking students. Thomas shared a new behavioral program called the Dragonfly Program that “targets kids with social emotional disabilities. The whole purpose of the program is to teach them the skills they need to be successful in general education and transition them back.” This program has already seen three successful cases where students have worked up to remaining in a general education classroom for up to half a day. She did mention some of the district’s top problems stem from low staffing, an issue that every superintendent shared.
Crane spoke next discussing the expansion of several programs at Middletown including the agricultural program which boasts a vineyard for students to explore. This district sees a lower enrollment rate at fewer than 1,500 students and has also faced high turnover rates in the last few years. He shared “I’m hoping we’re past that with our principals and directors and our district level leadership to set a strong foundation moving forward.” Recently the district had discussed merging two of their elementary schools together in an attempt to curb the budget but found that there are not enough classrooms to do so and will have to find other creative solutions.
Next up was Bullard who moved here from Minnesota for the position at Lakeport Unified. He discussed the similarities between his district and others, noting that they also see higher poverty rates as their free reduced lunch number is just over 80 percent of the student body. Bullard shared that recently he had 12 applicants for a custodial position they were advertising, a number Bullard was very proud of. “Most of you are saying come on that’s only 12, but we are coming from a time where three applicants was good.” He added, “On the state’s educator posting board there are about 15,000 positions posted statewide. That number will peak to 40,000 at hiring time in the Spring.” He noted the struggle of hiring a master’s degree applicant, yet not being able to pay them master’s degree salaries.” Without proper staffing Bullard noted the difficulty of meeting these students where they are at and providing them with a more personalized education. “How do we make an educational experience that meet the needs of all of our learners?” he asked.
Lastly Annous shared his perspective, beginning by sharing his history as an immigrant who escaped civil war in Lebanon in 1982. Annous discussed the idea of “emotional bankruptcy” and the importance of providing students the means to be successful by focusing on their entire life, not just their time at school. Though the over 800 laws that govern these schools has made this difficult, Annous stated “What we do every single day besides (teaching) math, writing and reading is we allow kids to write their own journey, their own future.” Getting emotional himself, Annous stressed the importance of community involvement and support during this transition from traditional education to more individualized and tailored educational plans.
Clearlake resident Barbara Christwitz asked the question of the hour – “What is happening in Lake County so that these (immigrant) kids don’t get harassed by ICE?” Thomas responded holding back tears, sharing that they have only been effected secondarily by ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement) thus far, as the “rumor mill” has created a real fear for kids as they wonder if their parents will still be home after school. She noted that the official school policy is that she is the only person on campus that can speak to any agents, and never would she allow a student to be removed from class. Salato tuned in, sharing that she has seen a downturn in attendance, dropping to 50 percent as people choose to stay home, or even move out of the county due to fear.
The Judge’s Breakfast is held every Thursday Morning at 7 a.m. in the Highlands Senior Center in Clearlake. The breakfast is open to all and currently welcoming new members. Next week’s speakers will be Konocti Unified’s elementary and secondary principals.
