By Penny Weaver, Superintendent, Scotts Valley Unified School District
Spring Sings
Our students have opportunities to receive music education and practice the performing arts through the enduring support of PTA, parent clubs and the Kiwanis Club who financially support the arts in our schools. Fostering creativity and intellectual curiosity strongly correlates with high achievement.
Gold Ribbon Year
Speaking of music, we are preparing to complete our school year on a high note. Scotts Valley High School and Scotts Valley Middle School have been recognized as Gold Ribbon Schools.
We appreciate receiving this new recognition from the state which validates the excellent teaching and learning opportunities in our schools. Our teachers are engaged in continuous professional development and we are laser focused on the strategic goals in the District’s Local Control Accountability Plan. Next year will feature deeper deployment of mobile devices to further the District’s goal of 1:1 devices per student. We will continue to refresh decades old computer equipment and add to our menu of software applications available to students.
Scotts Valley Middle School Design And Bond Funding Update
Design Committee Members are convening for workshop number five. The architect and builder teams have been collaborating on preliminary concepts for the site plan. Bringing the concepts into alignment with the bond fund budget is a challenge.
Some people ask why a bigger budget wasn’t planned for when the bond measure was placed on the ballot in June 2014. After two failed elections spanning 13 years, Board Members made the courageous decision structure the bond measure within the requirements of Prop. 39.
A Prop. 39 facility bond measure approved by voters as the School Facilities Local Vote Act of 2000, requires that the bond assessment be at or below $60 per $100,000 of assessed valuation of a property. The primary impact of Prop. 39 was to reduce the threshold required to pass local California school district bond issues from a two-thirds supermajority vote to a 55 percent supermajority vote. Keeping the bond amount within the requirements of Prop. 39 meant a smaller budget. The bond amount was determined by projected costs per square foot for construction based on the current square footage at SVMS and all related “soft” costs such as design, construction, permit fees, and contingencies.
Architect and builder teams working with the District have experience with varied methods including “stick built,” pre-fabricated and modular buildings. We are continuing with the iterative process of determining the spaces needed and the various methods of achieving the rebuilding of the campus within the bond budget available. Geotechnical tests, environmental impact analysis, hazardous material survey work, and continued analysis of temporary housing needs are all underway at this time. Keep watching our District Facebook page and our website at www.scottsvalleyusd.org for updates.
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Please note these events in June, July and August:
- June 3 — Brook Knoll Elementary School Open House
- June 9 and June 23 — School Board meetings at 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers at 1 Civic Center Drive.
- June 10 — Vine Hill and Brook Knoll Elementary School Fifth Grade Promotion Ceremonies and SVHS Graduation Ceremony
- June 10 — Last day of school for the 2014-2015 school year
- June 11 — SVMS Eighth Grade Promotion Ceremony
- July 6 – 31 — Extended School Year Services for students with individual educational plans for specific services
- August 26 — First day of school for the 2015-2016 school year!