By Mary-Justine Lanyon
Editor
At the Oct. 16 school board meeting, Trustee Dr. Bill Mellinger expressed concern about the district’s deficit spending. “How do we try to take care of our staff when we are in such a negative place?” he asked.
“We have to use unity and hard work by the whole team to try to reduce spending and take care of the staff and students.”
In his report, Dr. Paul Sevillano, the superintendent, said they are working on the district’s fiscal stabilization plan, something that is required by the county.
“Many districts are going through this,” Dr. Sevillano said. “A lot is attributed to declining enrollment.” The district has 90 days to put the plan together and look at how it will reduce some of the deficit spending.
An important part of the process, he noted, is engaging the community. “We want to make sure we are transparent about issues,” he said, adding a budget committee is being formed. “We will establish goals and strategies to bring down costs over three years.” The questions to ask, he said, are “How can we be more efficient with our dollars? How can we bring down operating costs?”
The goal, Dr. Sevillano added, is “to have a stable budget in the future.”
Tracy Marshall, the interim principal at Charles Hoffman Elementary School, gave that campus’ annual report to the board. She was pleased to announce they had enrolled three additional students that morning and have also gained a third-grade teacher.
Trustee Jordan Zarate noted that last year CHE students surpassed their pre-pandemic CAASPP (California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress) scores. “This year,” he said, “they earned the highest scores they have had in the history of CAASPP.”
At CHE, Marshall noted, the upper grade students are reading with first- and second-graders. There is also collaboration in math with students helping one another in peer groups. She also noted there has been an 80-percent decrease in behavior referrals; she was pleased to point at increased parent involvement.
In reporting on the new preschool at Valley of Enchantment Elementary School, Jennifer Whiteside, the director of Educational Services, described it as a “very engaging and warm space.” The preschool is founded by a three-year grant that provides $250,000 annually.
The preschool goals are to strengthen family connections to the Rim district from an early age and provide early intervention and literacy development. Currently there are 12 students enrolled.
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