Country Schools ARE Alive and Well

Recommendations 6

• R1

  Page 9
  Anderson Valley USD be used as a model for its accepting bicultural environment and its program in which virtually all students of various ethnic backgrounds become bilingual before graduation. (Common findings 3,13, School findings 3,4,5)
• R2

  Page 9
  the AVUSD, proud of success achieved in attracting and retaining Spanish- speaking students, be afforded the additional resources needed to assist and support this population. (Common findings 3,12, School findings 2,3,4,) of 64
• R3

  Page 9
  the Leggett Valley USD continue to foster its supportive environment and knowledgeable attention to each individual. (Common finding 2)
• R4

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  those high school students in Leggett Valley who attend the alternative education program be housed in a classroom that is as inviting as those of their fellow students. (School finding 17)
• R5

  Page 9
  MCOE and the Pt. Arena community do everything possible to support and continue the improvement within the Pt. Arena Joint Union High School District and Arena Unified Elementary School District; the dramatic decrease in turnover of trustees, administrators, teachers and students is clearly a positive turnaround in the health of these districts. (Common finding 4, School findings 19, 23)
• R6

  Page 9
  the Pt. Arena JUHSD, justifiably proud of its new buildings, not overlook the obvious: a library should be reserved for reading and research, not set up for regular band practice. (School finding 26) Comments “Schools should be the most beautiful structures in town”. This statement by a Mendocino County school administrator was meant literally, but its deeper meaning is surely felt by students, parents and staff of the three districts surveyed by the 2005- 2006 Grand Jury. In a County notorious for its drug tolerance and availability, there seems small evidence that hard drug use or genuine gang activity has gained a foothold in the elementary and secondary schools of Anderson Valley, Leggett and Pt. Arena. Alcohol and marijuana use on school sites is not unknown but uncommon. Instead, the primary problem seems to be poverty: 75 to 80% of the students in the districts surveyed are on the free or reduced fee breakfast and lunch program. Tied to low income and high Hispanic and Native American populations in two of the schools is a second problem: high tranciency rates. Affordable housing and long term, adequately compensated employment are hard to find in rural Mendocino. When circumstances become difficult, families move on, disrupting the education of their children. Compounding this problem, a growing school population speaking English as a second language and increasing evidence of severe language impairment in pre-K and primary children make meeting the State Literacy Requirements a formidable task. In spite of this, the three rural districts are in so many ways a success story. An inordinate percentage of graduates attend two and four year colleges, many on well- earned scholarships. A huge percentage of the population is bussed to their schools: they arrive, eat breakfast, and attend classes, most with enthusiasm and a positive attitude. A small but dedicated group of parents work for and within each school district for the benefit of all students. Most importantly, these rural districts boast caring, competent staff (several of them former students), strict but not unreasonable regulations, and a personal, nurturing educational environment that larger urban and suburban schools simply cannot duplicate. of 64 The country schoolhouse may be wired for the Internet, but the educational family still exists for youth in the far corners of Mendocino.