Officials, students ready for school

By COLBY FRAZIER — Aug. 22, 2009

Bright and early Monday morning, 15,500 students in the Santa Barbara School Districts will head back to campus, ready and rested for another year of homework, school lunch and countless other triumphs and challenges a school year poses.

School officials, fresh off cutting $4.3 million from its operating budget and weathering a controversy-filled summer about an administrative breakdown in its special education department, say they’re ready for a new year.

“I’m enthusiastic about the new year,” said district Superintendent Dr. Brian Sarvis. “1.8 million square feet of space [is] all cleaned and polished and we’re ready.”

While most school age children were likely enjoying their time off this summer, district officials were busy, keeping tabs on a tenuous state budget.

When it comes to the budget, Sarvis said things appear to be under control and he feels the millions of dollars in cuts were kept as far from students and classrooms as possible.

But in a district that spends a significant chunk of its funding on personnel, almost any cuts translate into impacts in the classroom. One of the changes parents might notice is increased class sizes from a ratio of 20-to-1 to 25-to-1 in kindergarten through third grade classes.

Perhaps the biggest change in the school districts this year will be the transition to basic aid funding, meaning the school finances will come solely from property taxes, not state funding formulas based the number of students in school.

Declining enrollment in recent years has battered the districts. With each lost student came a hit to funding — a circle that put significant strain on the district ledgers. But under a basic aid system, the district receives the same amount of funding regardless of how many students are enrolled, since it’s based on how many parcels are located in district boundaries.

Sarvis said he believes the move to a basic aid structure will make the districts more fiscally stable during an era of increasing instability at the state level.

The district’s embattled special education department also appears to be on the rebound after officials last week announced the hiring of Tom Guajardo as its executive director of special education.

After years of criticism from parents, the district commissioned an independent study to analyze the program. In late June, district officials saw in black and white just how broken the department was. In all, the study, described by some as “brutal,” suggested 153 recommendations that Sarvis said he’s looking forward to begin implementing.

But the controversy surrounding special education didn’t end with the scathing report.

In early July, the man the district hired to shepherd its special education department through rocky times stepped down amid controversy stemming from his former job. Days later, a woman the district hired to be the department’s assistant director also stepped down.

“I feel like we’re getting a fresh start and we’re ready to move on and forge positive relationships with our special education parents,” Sarvis said.

About 150 students who participated in the district’s Child Development Program over the summer, for children entering kindergarten through third grade, received free backpacks and school supplies yesterday.

Another 250 backpacks will be handed out at Adams Elementary School on Monday. Costco donated the backpacks.

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: 8/22/2009

Good luck to all the kids. Good luck to the teachers who, once again, have managed to pull this off without all the proper instructional materials which were PROMISED to be in place at the start of school..

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school blues : 8/22/2009

and blessings to the teachers, some of whom didn't get re-hired back until this week. THey have to know every single day how much they are appreciated for their dedication to serve, even while dealing with such uncertainty, What a sad state of affairs for them, our children and the future of us all.

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: 8/22/2009

When we waste $ on war, the children pay the price.

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Children... : 8/23/2009

It's great that the children get the quality education vs. what is offered in Mexico and Gutemala.

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: 8/23/2009

It's also great that their parents are underpaid and keep our economy going! Their kids have to go to school as well. Why do you think you can buy cheap, affordable produce?

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Strawberries and salad greens : 8/24/2009

I'd rather pay $10 dollars for a box of berries and $5.00 for a head of romaine; it would still be cheaper!

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: 8/25/2009

Oh please!

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