By Julie Eastman and Joanne Yates
Napa Valley Register, February 15, 2010
We agree with the Register’s editorial that “Students must be top priority in St. Helena” (Jan. 24). Some history might help your readers understand that students have always been the recall’s first priority. Supporters want to provide all students an opportunity to succeed regardless of scholastic ability. It is the same attitude that has been an integral part of wine-growing culture of this valley.
Back in the 1970s, for example, vintner Jack Schulz faced near disaster his first year. In the middle of harvest, his crusher broke down. But, within hours, Beringer Vineyards (courtesy of the Raymond brothers) hauled over what he needed. They saved Napa Creek’s first vintage.
It would have been just as easy to ignore Jack’s troubles, chalking up his problems to inexperience or bad luck. After all, what difference would one less winery make? Lucky for Jack, and all who worked for him, that was not how most of the wine industry greats thought.
Saving Jack’s first year meant experience for a winemaker who later made wines with the legendary Al Brounstein. The winery gave work to designers and printers, brought people to the valley for holiday festivities and became a valuable part of the community.
Jack’s experience represents a tradition of generosity and cooperation that also influenced how we raised and educated our children. Like winery stories, there are school experiences that bear repeating because they too are testimony to our community’s greater spirit.
In 2001, Carol Geyer helped Cory Roche create a project for the special education high school students — making dog cookies. Micki Voisard, a leading animal nutritionist, joined in the effort and, after batches of hard-as-a-rock bone shapes or mushy blobs, the students developed a recipe: a perfect recipe. They shopped for ingredients, baked, weighed, packaged and sold their goods at local stores and at the Farmer’s Market.
Wine Country Cases donated wooden display boxes. St. Helena Olive Oil Company housed a professional oven for students to use. With Gayle Davies’ guidance, students started an organic garden for some of their ingredients. Mike Snowden’s shop students made 11 raised beds; Whiting donated organic soil.
As the project grew, so did the skills and confidence of the students. With the community, Mr. Roche developed a project that seamlessly integrated students into life-learning activities in and out of school. That was exactly what should happen in special ed classrooms, and it cost the school nothing beyond salaries: sales paid for supplies, classroom trips and materials as well.
That same community involvement was instrumental in making Madrone Continuation School, Work Experience and a host of vocational classes practical and meaningful for a range of students. Madrone had a 40-year history in St. Helena based on helping our community’s struggling students. By staying on campus, but in an atmosphere better suited to their needs, the majority of these students graduated.
Work Experience enabled students to gain high school credit by working with community business members. The program was not only about learning skills, but helping students understand their own goals and talents as well.
These classes and programs did not impoverish St. Helena’s schools or keep students from going to college. They made the schools and our community richer by giving everyone an opportunity to be successful and to participate in that success — just as the Raymonds did for Jack Schulz.
Yet in the last several years, these programs have disappeared, not for lack of money, but for a change in priorities that has favored all-time high administrative salaries and staff, unnecessary legal actions against the Napa County Unified School District and St. Helena parents, extravagant retirement packages and an arrogant disregard for the needs of the district’s entire student body.
(Eastman was St. Helena Unified School District’s Certificated Employee of the Year in 2004, and now works for Napa Valley Unified School District. Yates is a former substitute teacher and volunteer in Napa and St. Helena.)
Monday, February 15, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
A Viewpoint From Don Martin, Former Asst Superintendent for SHUSD
As the deadline for voting on the recall of the current St. Helena School Board approaches, it continues to bother me that the current Board takes responsibility for many of the programs and achievements that were begun, and in many instances, completed by the previous Board and administration.
The development of grade level standards and adherence to California State Standards which have led to higher scores on Ca. performance tests were begun under the leadership of Ms. Santangelo and a previous Board of Trustees.
Many of the outreach programs, seeking to assist underperforming students were initiated by the previous Board of Trustees, including the hiring of an Hispanic Outreach Coordinator.
During the tenure of Gina Santangelo, the establishment of a District and school level ELACs were created (English Language Acquisition Committee).
The AVID program, which is a proven program of assistance to underperforming students was brought to the district prior to the current Board’s tenure.
Certain Board members have taken credit for the joint usage agreement and subsequent building of the Boys & Girls Club on the St. Helena Elementary School campus. This partnership was begun by Supt. Gina Santangelo and her leadership provided the impetus to see the project through to completion.
The improved track at RLS was a project begun under Supt. Santangelo and a different Board.
In regard to monies spent over recent years:
One of the current Board of Trustees’ reasons for appointing the current Superintendent is stated as being for the purpose of continuity in leadership for the International Baccalaureate Program. This program was adopted by the Board, and any competent superintendent can implement the program. I have researched IB for several school districts in the past, and there are several critical questions that should be asked regarding the program: How many students are actually graduating with the IB diploma? (in districts I have previewed, the percentage is usually under 5% of the graduating class.) How many colleges recognize the IB diploma? (unless things have changed recently, the UC system does not recognize the program—they do accept Advanced Placement credit.) How much district money is spent on administrators and teachers attending conferences, and where are these conferences held? (historically, the IB conferences are held in Europe, Canada, the East Coast and Caribbean Islands—is this where the district should be spending money?) The bottom line for the IB program is to question how many students are really being helped through the program, and at what cost.
The current Board has incurred tremendous attorney fees in the battle with the county over property tax revenue from students matriculating from Howell Mtn and Pope Valley Elementary Districts. As of this date, this lawsuit, which has cost the district hundreds of thousands of dollars, is being considered a frivolous lawsuit!
Although the retirement package for the outgoing superintendent is probably not illegal in a strict interpretation of state law, is it ethical to take that additional money at a time when the state is continuing to cut educational spending?
If some people question my credibility, I can provide a resume summarizing my 38 years in public education, 4 years of which were spent as the Assistant Superintendent of St. Helena Unified School District, before becoming a superintendent in another district in Northern California.
Respectfully,
Don Martin
The development of grade level standards and adherence to California State Standards which have led to higher scores on Ca. performance tests were begun under the leadership of Ms. Santangelo and a previous Board of Trustees.
Many of the outreach programs, seeking to assist underperforming students were initiated by the previous Board of Trustees, including the hiring of an Hispanic Outreach Coordinator.
During the tenure of Gina Santangelo, the establishment of a District and school level ELACs were created (English Language Acquisition Committee).
The AVID program, which is a proven program of assistance to underperforming students was brought to the district prior to the current Board’s tenure.
Certain Board members have taken credit for the joint usage agreement and subsequent building of the Boys & Girls Club on the St. Helena Elementary School campus. This partnership was begun by Supt. Gina Santangelo and her leadership provided the impetus to see the project through to completion.
The improved track at RLS was a project begun under Supt. Santangelo and a different Board.
In regard to monies spent over recent years:
One of the current Board of Trustees’ reasons for appointing the current Superintendent is stated as being for the purpose of continuity in leadership for the International Baccalaureate Program. This program was adopted by the Board, and any competent superintendent can implement the program. I have researched IB for several school districts in the past, and there are several critical questions that should be asked regarding the program: How many students are actually graduating with the IB diploma? (in districts I have previewed, the percentage is usually under 5% of the graduating class.) How many colleges recognize the IB diploma? (unless things have changed recently, the UC system does not recognize the program—they do accept Advanced Placement credit.) How much district money is spent on administrators and teachers attending conferences, and where are these conferences held? (historically, the IB conferences are held in Europe, Canada, the East Coast and Caribbean Islands—is this where the district should be spending money?) The bottom line for the IB program is to question how many students are really being helped through the program, and at what cost.
The current Board has incurred tremendous attorney fees in the battle with the county over property tax revenue from students matriculating from Howell Mtn and Pope Valley Elementary Districts. As of this date, this lawsuit, which has cost the district hundreds of thousands of dollars, is being considered a frivolous lawsuit!
Although the retirement package for the outgoing superintendent is probably not illegal in a strict interpretation of state law, is it ethical to take that additional money at a time when the state is continuing to cut educational spending?
If some people question my credibility, I can provide a resume summarizing my 38 years in public education, 4 years of which were spent as the Assistant Superintendent of St. Helena Unified School District, before becoming a superintendent in another district in Northern California.
Respectfully,
Don Martin
Friday, February 5, 2010
Let Voices Be Heard
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Letter to Editor
St. Helena Star
Editor: The special recall election ballots have been mailed to all St. Helena Unified School District registered voters and I sincerely hope that everyone in our community will vote in this important election. Only with the direction of our community can our district move forward.
As you consider how to vote, I would like to clarify one thing on the cost of this recall election.
Our registrar of voters, John Tuteur, has indicated that the cost of this special recall election will be between $30,000 and $35,000, and no more. The cost of any prior or subsequent elections cannot be attributed to the recall. They were, or are, required for completely separate reasons.
Yes, this is a lot of money, however when this cost is compared to some of the costs from the past school year it comes into perspective.
For instance, it is only one-tenth of the amount of money our district spent on attorneys fees in the past school year and one-tenth of the amount of money our district awarded to two retiring administrators that had worked for our district for only five years and were already going to receive state retirement benefits.
It is also important to realize that the district will have to pay this cost even if you vote “no” on the recall. When over 2,000 residents signed recall petitions this summer mandating a special recall election, they told the district that they thought this cost was a necessary expense to ensure that the voice of the community was heard.
Todd DeVincenzi
St. Helena
Letter to Editor
St. Helena Star
Editor: The special recall election ballots have been mailed to all St. Helena Unified School District registered voters and I sincerely hope that everyone in our community will vote in this important election. Only with the direction of our community can our district move forward.
As you consider how to vote, I would like to clarify one thing on the cost of this recall election.
Our registrar of voters, John Tuteur, has indicated that the cost of this special recall election will be between $30,000 and $35,000, and no more. The cost of any prior or subsequent elections cannot be attributed to the recall. They were, or are, required for completely separate reasons.
Yes, this is a lot of money, however when this cost is compared to some of the costs from the past school year it comes into perspective.
For instance, it is only one-tenth of the amount of money our district spent on attorneys fees in the past school year and one-tenth of the amount of money our district awarded to two retiring administrators that had worked for our district for only five years and were already going to receive state retirement benefits.
It is also important to realize that the district will have to pay this cost even if you vote “no” on the recall. When over 2,000 residents signed recall petitions this summer mandating a special recall election, they told the district that they thought this cost was a necessary expense to ensure that the voice of the community was heard.
Todd DeVincenzi
St. Helena
Recall Candidates Believe Teachers Deserve Better
St. Helena Star
By Jeannie Kerr
Thursday, January 28, 2010
“Teaching is the profession that teaches all other professions.” — Anonymous Author.
This quote sums up in a simple way the incredible responsibility we place on our teachers. Although we all know how important our teachers are, and how grateful we are to them for helping our children learn, we often do not express it enough.
Lately, there has been some unfortunate misinformation circulating in our community regarding the recall effort and the supposed plans that recall candidates may have regarding the teachers of our district if the recall is successful.
It seems there has been some miscommunication on this subject because the current candidates and recall supporters have made a concerted effort to avoid putting the teachers in an awkward position by discussing the recall with them.
We all agree that this recall effort is not about the teachers but about the decisions that our current school board has made. There are some consistent messages that have come out of the recall that we candidates would like to reiterate here.
Recall supporters have consistently maintained that more school funds should be directed toward our teachers and classrooms so that our students will derive the most benefit from our district’s large budget.
Our school district is blessed with some of the most skilled and talented teachers that deserve all of the support that we can give them. They are the direct link between our children and learning; we want them to have all of the necessary tools and incentives to provide the best education they can to all students.
Recall supporters also hope that teachers will feel free to go to the administration and the board and voice any concerns they have regarding our schools and how they operate. Since the teachers are “in the trenches,” they are our best resource to inform us of what is really happening with our students. Their input is crucial to the success of our school district.
I know that my children and other children will be grateful for the opportunities given to them because of the skilled and caring teachers we have here in St. Helena.
It is important for us to all remember that our teachers are the heart and soul to the development and learning of our students.
I speak on behalf of all of the candidates in the upcoming recall election when I say that we have never felt that this current situation was about decreasing resources to teachers, it has always been about change that is necessary to make sure that our teachers have many resources available to them in order to prepare all of our students for the future.
(Jeannie Kerr is running for Trustee Cynthia Lane’s seat in the St. Helena School Board election. She has been involved with the parent groups for the primary/elementary and middle schools and the St. Helena Public Schools Foundation. She has children attending St. Helena Elementary School and RLS Middle School. She also serves on the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission and in 2003 was named St. Helena Chamber of Commerce “citizen of the year” for spearheading the renovation of a playground in Crane Park.)
By Jeannie Kerr
Thursday, January 28, 2010
“Teaching is the profession that teaches all other professions.” — Anonymous Author.
This quote sums up in a simple way the incredible responsibility we place on our teachers. Although we all know how important our teachers are, and how grateful we are to them for helping our children learn, we often do not express it enough.
Lately, there has been some unfortunate misinformation circulating in our community regarding the recall effort and the supposed plans that recall candidates may have regarding the teachers of our district if the recall is successful.
It seems there has been some miscommunication on this subject because the current candidates and recall supporters have made a concerted effort to avoid putting the teachers in an awkward position by discussing the recall with them.
We all agree that this recall effort is not about the teachers but about the decisions that our current school board has made. There are some consistent messages that have come out of the recall that we candidates would like to reiterate here.
Recall supporters have consistently maintained that more school funds should be directed toward our teachers and classrooms so that our students will derive the most benefit from our district’s large budget.
Our school district is blessed with some of the most skilled and talented teachers that deserve all of the support that we can give them. They are the direct link between our children and learning; we want them to have all of the necessary tools and incentives to provide the best education they can to all students.
Recall supporters also hope that teachers will feel free to go to the administration and the board and voice any concerns they have regarding our schools and how they operate. Since the teachers are “in the trenches,” they are our best resource to inform us of what is really happening with our students. Their input is crucial to the success of our school district.
I know that my children and other children will be grateful for the opportunities given to them because of the skilled and caring teachers we have here in St. Helena.
It is important for us to all remember that our teachers are the heart and soul to the development and learning of our students.
I speak on behalf of all of the candidates in the upcoming recall election when I say that we have never felt that this current situation was about decreasing resources to teachers, it has always been about change that is necessary to make sure that our teachers have many resources available to them in order to prepare all of our students for the future.
(Jeannie Kerr is running for Trustee Cynthia Lane’s seat in the St. Helena School Board election. She has been involved with the parent groups for the primary/elementary and middle schools and the St. Helena Public Schools Foundation. She has children attending St. Helena Elementary School and RLS Middle School. She also serves on the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission and in 2003 was named St. Helena Chamber of Commerce “citizen of the year” for spearheading the renovation of a playground in Crane Park.)
Recall Improves Government
St. Helena Star
Thursday, January 28, 2010
During interviews with the Star editorial board earlier this month, each of the four trustees targeted for recall — and each of their proposed replacements — were asked about governance.
Generally speaking, the incumbents tended to pledge more allegiance to the school district administration, while the challengers tended to side more directly with the district’s parents.
Ironically, just six years ago a group of parents were banging down the walls of the previous administration. They tore down those walls, were elected to office and are today targets of a recall movement by parents who want to tear down new walls.
The irony was lost on the incumbents. With few exceptions, the incumbents’ view is that supporting the administration of Allan Gordon and Rob Haley provided many good things for the district, including a new curriculum.
In the process of supporting the administration, however, the board may have lost its connection with parents who also provided many good things for the district, including funding and public support.
The voters of St. Helena Unified have a choice to make in this election. They can keep the status quo and retain trustees who lean to the bureaucracy. Or they can elect new trustees who will lean more toward the parents.
While the four St. Helena school trustees have committed no “high crimes or misdemeanors,” they are facing a jury of their peers for, in essence, ignoring the speed limit.
In May 2009, when the school board announced it would promote Rob Haley as district superintendent without first conducting a candidate search, many of the district’s leading parents and supporters asked the board to slow down the process. Trustees heard the parents, but didn’t listen. Instead, they kept speeding along.
For some parents who were just starting to keep tabs on the board, the decision came as quite a shock. For many more community members the decision was seen as poor governance. That’s why a third of all eligible district voters petitioned to get a recall on the ballot.
Their concerns fell into three basic categories.
• Leadership: The administration, rather than the board, was running the district. Instead, trustees should set policies and the administration should carry them out.
• Communication: The district failed to fully communicate with parents before major projects were approved, before long-term strategic plans were formulated, before special education classes were closed or moved, and before major curriculum changes were adopted.
• Spending: The board was spending too much public money. The district budget has more than doubled in 10 years, while enrollment has dropped 20 percent. Spending money on public relations and retirement incentives did not make sense to parents struggling to raise funds for student programs.
Even after the recall qualified for the ballot, the incumbents still had a chance to embrace the parents. Anyone who has ever been pulled over for speeding knows that a respectful attitude will often convince the traffic cop to let you go with a warning.
But the parents, instead of being validated, were accused of being out of touch and too new to the school district to give advice. Their opinions were deemed irrelevant, even though many of these parents made up the very core of the district’s support network.
The board should have realized that 2,000-plus signatures in favor of a recall election represented more than a few disgruntled parents. Rather, it represented a political movement on a scale similar to the one that replaced the previous administration in 2004.
Instead, the board acted as if they had never been guilty of speeding in the first place. By refusing to slow down, the board was telling the parents they had no right to set the speed limit.
“We listened to them, but we did not comply,” Trustee Cynthia Lane told the Star editorial board. Trustees Ines DeLuna and Carolyn Martini struggled to recall any mistakes made by the board.
To be fair, the incumbents are now sharing more information with the public as a result of the recall election. But it’s too little, too late.
The four challengers — Sean Maher, Jeannie Kerr, Jeanne DeVincenzi, and Jeff Conwell — offer impressive credentials and long records of public service. They each seem eager to listen, communicate and act. They make the point that, now that the school district is threatened with the loss of up to half of its revenue due to state funding cuts, the administration should already be meeting with parents, teachers, staff and trustees to figure out the community’s top priorities.
The challengers make the point that there’s no time to waste — that waiting for the November election to replace trustees will only delay the process of involving the community. They reason that it’s better to get the new trustees up to speed as soon as possible.
If elected, new board members should embrace all ideas when considering how to deal with funding cuts. They should ask tough questions of the administration. They should invest in mediation, not litigation. They should act quickly to mend fences with other school districts.
Although the Star supports the recall in general, there is one fly in this ointment. The new board will need help getting up to speed over the next few months. It might be wise for voters to retain one of the current trustees as a bridge to the future, to make sure all segments of the community are represented.
That holdover trustee should be Cindy Warren, whose term is up in 2012. Of the four incumbents, she is most qualified to act as a community liaison for the new board.
“We absolutely made mistakes in (the) process — we assumed a lot when we saw empty board meetings, (we assumed) they didn’t care,” Warren told the editorial board.
Voters can send a strong message in favor of better governance by recalling incumbent trustees DeLuna, Lane and Martini. They can begin the process of healing the community by retaining Trustee Warren.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
During interviews with the Star editorial board earlier this month, each of the four trustees targeted for recall — and each of their proposed replacements — were asked about governance.
Generally speaking, the incumbents tended to pledge more allegiance to the school district administration, while the challengers tended to side more directly with the district’s parents.
Ironically, just six years ago a group of parents were banging down the walls of the previous administration. They tore down those walls, were elected to office and are today targets of a recall movement by parents who want to tear down new walls.
The irony was lost on the incumbents. With few exceptions, the incumbents’ view is that supporting the administration of Allan Gordon and Rob Haley provided many good things for the district, including a new curriculum.
In the process of supporting the administration, however, the board may have lost its connection with parents who also provided many good things for the district, including funding and public support.
The voters of St. Helena Unified have a choice to make in this election. They can keep the status quo and retain trustees who lean to the bureaucracy. Or they can elect new trustees who will lean more toward the parents.
While the four St. Helena school trustees have committed no “high crimes or misdemeanors,” they are facing a jury of their peers for, in essence, ignoring the speed limit.
In May 2009, when the school board announced it would promote Rob Haley as district superintendent without first conducting a candidate search, many of the district’s leading parents and supporters asked the board to slow down the process. Trustees heard the parents, but didn’t listen. Instead, they kept speeding along.
For some parents who were just starting to keep tabs on the board, the decision came as quite a shock. For many more community members the decision was seen as poor governance. That’s why a third of all eligible district voters petitioned to get a recall on the ballot.
Their concerns fell into three basic categories.
• Leadership: The administration, rather than the board, was running the district. Instead, trustees should set policies and the administration should carry them out.
• Communication: The district failed to fully communicate with parents before major projects were approved, before long-term strategic plans were formulated, before special education classes were closed or moved, and before major curriculum changes were adopted.
• Spending: The board was spending too much public money. The district budget has more than doubled in 10 years, while enrollment has dropped 20 percent. Spending money on public relations and retirement incentives did not make sense to parents struggling to raise funds for student programs.
Even after the recall qualified for the ballot, the incumbents still had a chance to embrace the parents. Anyone who has ever been pulled over for speeding knows that a respectful attitude will often convince the traffic cop to let you go with a warning.
But the parents, instead of being validated, were accused of being out of touch and too new to the school district to give advice. Their opinions were deemed irrelevant, even though many of these parents made up the very core of the district’s support network.
The board should have realized that 2,000-plus signatures in favor of a recall election represented more than a few disgruntled parents. Rather, it represented a political movement on a scale similar to the one that replaced the previous administration in 2004.
Instead, the board acted as if they had never been guilty of speeding in the first place. By refusing to slow down, the board was telling the parents they had no right to set the speed limit.
“We listened to them, but we did not comply,” Trustee Cynthia Lane told the Star editorial board. Trustees Ines DeLuna and Carolyn Martini struggled to recall any mistakes made by the board.
To be fair, the incumbents are now sharing more information with the public as a result of the recall election. But it’s too little, too late.
The four challengers — Sean Maher, Jeannie Kerr, Jeanne DeVincenzi, and Jeff Conwell — offer impressive credentials and long records of public service. They each seem eager to listen, communicate and act. They make the point that, now that the school district is threatened with the loss of up to half of its revenue due to state funding cuts, the administration should already be meeting with parents, teachers, staff and trustees to figure out the community’s top priorities.
The challengers make the point that there’s no time to waste — that waiting for the November election to replace trustees will only delay the process of involving the community. They reason that it’s better to get the new trustees up to speed as soon as possible.
If elected, new board members should embrace all ideas when considering how to deal with funding cuts. They should ask tough questions of the administration. They should invest in mediation, not litigation. They should act quickly to mend fences with other school districts.
Although the Star supports the recall in general, there is one fly in this ointment. The new board will need help getting up to speed over the next few months. It might be wise for voters to retain one of the current trustees as a bridge to the future, to make sure all segments of the community are represented.
That holdover trustee should be Cindy Warren, whose term is up in 2012. Of the four incumbents, she is most qualified to act as a community liaison for the new board.
“We absolutely made mistakes in (the) process — we assumed a lot when we saw empty board meetings, (we assumed) they didn’t care,” Warren told the editorial board.
Voters can send a strong message in favor of better governance by recalling incumbent trustees DeLuna, Lane and Martini. They can begin the process of healing the community by retaining Trustee Warren.
Invest In Preschool-Editorial by Sean Maher
St. Helena Star February 4th
Throughout my campaign as a replacement candidate in the upcoming school board recall election, I have had the opportunity to meet with many members of our community to discuss concerns regarding our school district.
One important issue that has come up time and again is affordable quality preschool. One woman I spoke with informed me that research has indicated approximately 150 local children are currently in need of this service.
Through my discussions with some of the leaders in our Hispanic community, I have learned that during the past several years they have tried to establish an affordable preschool in St. Helena. I have also been told that the St. Helena Unified School District has been approached over the years for help in establishing such a preschool, but nothing has been accomplished so far.
It seems to me that SHUSD is missing a tremendous opportunity here to strengthen our commitment to this segment of our community and to students who have the ability to be successful if provided with the right start.
I truly believe that an affordable quality preschool needs to become a reality for us in St. Helena. Such a program could bring long lasting and far-reaching results for our students, teachers, parents and community as a whole. It is well documented that children who attend preschool:
• Are more proficient at reading at the elementary school level;
• Become more socialized so that they work well with their peers in class;
• Tend to score higher on tests;
• Are less likely to be placed in special education classes or held back a grade;
• Are more likely to graduate from high school and attend college;
• Are higher wage earners; and
• Are less likely to need public assistance as adults.
I have spoken with my fellow replacement candidates regarding this issue and all of them are extremely motivated to try to get this program off the ground and running.
I believe, as do they, that our school district needs to be a part of establishing an effective preschool for those who can’t afford the current private preschool offerings in our community. After all, it is our schools that will reap the benefits of such a program.
We have a tremendous Boys & Girls Club that now averages 189 kids a day. The Teen Center has been completely renovated and membership is increasing. With the exception of affordable preschool, it seems we have our kids in St. Helena well-covered.
What is currently missing is a resource for low-income families whose children are not yet of school age.
Various members of our community continue to work towards a solution, and this effort will depend on the generosity of our community and hard work of concerned citizens. Considering what we know about the benefits of preschool, I believe that now is the time for affordable preschool in St. Helena. Our community can and should work to make this happen.
(Sean P. Maher is running for Ines DeLuna’s seat in the St. Helena School board recall election. As Boys and Girls Club president from 2004 to 2006, he co-chaired the capital campaign that financed the club’s Tainter Street facility. As a founding partner with Maher and Associates, he assists wine-related businesses with long-term planning and asset management. He has coached youth baseball, basketball and soccer.)
Throughout my campaign as a replacement candidate in the upcoming school board recall election, I have had the opportunity to meet with many members of our community to discuss concerns regarding our school district.
One important issue that has come up time and again is affordable quality preschool. One woman I spoke with informed me that research has indicated approximately 150 local children are currently in need of this service.
Through my discussions with some of the leaders in our Hispanic community, I have learned that during the past several years they have tried to establish an affordable preschool in St. Helena. I have also been told that the St. Helena Unified School District has been approached over the years for help in establishing such a preschool, but nothing has been accomplished so far.
It seems to me that SHUSD is missing a tremendous opportunity here to strengthen our commitment to this segment of our community and to students who have the ability to be successful if provided with the right start.
I truly believe that an affordable quality preschool needs to become a reality for us in St. Helena. Such a program could bring long lasting and far-reaching results for our students, teachers, parents and community as a whole. It is well documented that children who attend preschool:
• Are more proficient at reading at the elementary school level;
• Become more socialized so that they work well with their peers in class;
• Tend to score higher on tests;
• Are less likely to be placed in special education classes or held back a grade;
• Are more likely to graduate from high school and attend college;
• Are higher wage earners; and
• Are less likely to need public assistance as adults.
I have spoken with my fellow replacement candidates regarding this issue and all of them are extremely motivated to try to get this program off the ground and running.
I believe, as do they, that our school district needs to be a part of establishing an effective preschool for those who can’t afford the current private preschool offerings in our community. After all, it is our schools that will reap the benefits of such a program.
We have a tremendous Boys & Girls Club that now averages 189 kids a day. The Teen Center has been completely renovated and membership is increasing. With the exception of affordable preschool, it seems we have our kids in St. Helena well-covered.
What is currently missing is a resource for low-income families whose children are not yet of school age.
Various members of our community continue to work towards a solution, and this effort will depend on the generosity of our community and hard work of concerned citizens. Considering what we know about the benefits of preschool, I believe that now is the time for affordable preschool in St. Helena. Our community can and should work to make this happen.
(Sean P. Maher is running for Ines DeLuna’s seat in the St. Helena School board recall election. As Boys and Girls Club president from 2004 to 2006, he co-chaired the capital campaign that financed the club’s Tainter Street facility. As a founding partner with Maher and Associates, he assists wine-related businesses with long-term planning and asset management. He has coached youth baseball, basketball and soccer.)
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