Small School Districts' Association

The California Department of Education released its first set of answers to over 800 questions received during their https://online.casbo.org/images/My_Images/Newsbreak/2020/CDE%20Combined%20Webinar%20Questions%20and%20Answers%2010-8-2020.xlsxthat addresses current fiscal and accounting changes pursuant to SB 98.

CalMatters hosts a Great Discussion and information on Rebuilding and Resiliency: How We Need to Handle Wildfires From Now On.Wed, October 21, 2020 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM PDT #SSDA https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rebuilding-and-resiliency-how-we-need-to-handle-wildfires-from-now-on-tickets-124614424097?aff=odeimcmailchimp&utm_source=CalMatters+Newsletters&utm_campaign=55ac455d32-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_03_31_COPY_02&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_faa7be558d-55ac455d32-150280759&mc_cid=55ac455d32&mc_eid=cd2e6e5162

#@MotherLodeUSD featured in PACE publication: A rural school district's response to COVID. Collaboration and Addressing Student Needs. Great work/great school! Worth reading! #ACSA #SSDA #CSBA https://www.edpolicyinca.org/publications/collaboration-and-addressing-student-needs

Hope Elementary in Porterville Reopens. Superintendent Matta "It is a family feel here. The parents know that when they drop their kids off, they’re going to be well taken care of." Congrats to the staff for a great reopening! https://www.recorderonline.com/news/don-t-give-up-hope-a-prepared-hope-reopens-its-doors/article_42731f5a-0255-11eb-895f-a71961e18769.html

‪SSDA Board Member and Big Creek Supt Toby Wait loses his house and the Big Creek community is suffering from loss from the fire. #ssda #acsa #cde‬

Lucerne Valley! Exciting and great article about being back in school. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200903005680/en/PGE-Contributes-500000-Close-Californias-Educational-Digital

Great news for our members up in Humboldt County! $500,000 to help the districts with purchasing technology for their districts! Thank You CDE and PG&E #SSDA #https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200903005680/en/PGE-Contributes-500000-Close-Californias-Educational-Digital

Thank You CDE and the Donors of Laptops to Meadows School in El Centro! Students, Staff and Ms. Rodriquez are so thankful! From Superintendent Rodriquez: "Today was our first day of school and I had to share this pic from last Saturday ). Thanks to your help in making this tech grant possible for our Meadows School we were able to become a one-to-one school!! We purchased backpacks for them and in there was their brand new Chromebook. This is our “little school that could” and our Board of Trustees, our teachers, our students and parents are very appreciative of this. Thank you so much for helping us kick off the year on a very high note in spite of all the unique situations we had to face being in a stay home order still. Hope you have a great year too!! Thanks again and stay safe!" Mrs. R

New County Color System for Reopening Schools creates confusion https://edsource.org/2020/color-purple-will-determine-whether-california-schools-can-open-for-in-class-instruction/639303?utm_source=EdSource&utm_medium=newsletter

Compared with shouting, quiet talking reduces the production of virus-soaked aerosols by 80%; silence reduces them by 98%. One scientist told me talking quietly, rather than yelling, reduces the risk of viral transmission by a degree comparable to properly wearing a mask.

In only 15 days look what California has faced with CA wildfires.

Guidance for Small Cohorts/Groups of Children Released Today! https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/small-groups-child-youth.aspx Governor’s office issued a FAQ https://files.covid19.ca.gov/pdf/guidance-schools-cohort-FAQ.pdf

Ed Source interviews SSDA Board Member Linda Irving and SSDA members Michelle Zevely, Butte County, Ken Burkhart, Pope Valley and Torrie Gibson in Penn Valley....Fires and Angst for schools! https://edsource.org/2020/california-wildfires-add-angst-to-distance-learning/638935

I will be joining Wes Smith and Debra Kubin, Superintendent of Ukiah, to discuss Leadership and dealing with crisis' at 5:30 tonight. Looking forward to it. Hope to see you there....https://www.facebook.com/acsafans

One of our newest members, Indian Diggings, providing a hybrid model for students--6 of 14 started in the classroom. https://edsource.org/2020/a-tiny-school-in-northern-california-opens-for-in-person-teaching-with-six-of-its-14-enrolled-students/638555

Big Creek is another examples of the unique needs of individual communities. One size does not fit all in California. https://gvwire.com/2020/08/12/big-creek-has-essential-workers-a-closed-school-and-no-child-care-center-for-kids/

The Time Is Now To Close The Digital Divide! Legislators have the ball in their court! https://cafwd.org/reporting/entry/compromise-on-broadband-bills-necessary-to-address-californias-digital-cris

Lucerne Valley Elementary Gets OK To Begin In-School Classes Superintendent Peter Livingston sets August 20th as start date for “hybrid plan” as county, state respond quickly to Lucerne Valley’s waiver request. By LVUSD Social Media The Lucerne Valley Unified School District is the first in San Bernardino County to obtain a waiver to open its elementary school to in-person instruction after the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health approved the waiver on Wednesday. “We are approved as of today,” Superintendent Peter Livingston said Wednesday afternoon. “We’re the first in the county, and I believe we’re one of the first in the state. We’re really excited!” The school district received the approval letter on August 12th from San Bernardino County’s Interim Health Officer Dr. Erin Gustafson. She cited Lucerne Valley’s COVID-19 low community case rate of only 56.8 per 100,000 people compared to the county’s nearly four times higher overall rate of about 200 per 100,000 and the district’s comprehensive School Reopening Plan for the approval. Lucerne Valley Unified’s plan contains “all required elements to prevent and reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the school setting,” she said. Lucerne Valley’s community case rate “is below the recommended threshold set by the state for considering an elementary school waiver for opening in-person instruction,” she added. The county’s Department of Health sent its review of the LVUSD waiver application to the California Department of Public Health, which “concurred with our recommendation and notified us on August 12 that we may issue an approval to reopen your Elementary School for in-person instruction,” Dr. Gustafson wrote. Lucerne Valley Elementary School parents will have the choice to select either full-time virtual distance learning or the hybrid model of both distance learning and in-school instruction. The hybrid plan has two days of in-school instruction with distance learning on the other days, according to Mr. Livingston. “Our plan will be to reopen on August 20. This allows us time to fully communicate with all stakeholders.” Lucerne Valley Elementary School Principal Ricky Anderson shared Livingston’s excitement about opening up to in-person instruction for those who choose it. “It was great news hearing that we could open our elementary school on a hybrid model based on the data and safety precautions provided by the San Bernardino County Public Health Department,” Mr. Anderson said. “It truly has been a collective effort by all our students, families, administration, classified, and certificated employees to ensure a safe return for our students.” Moreover, the principal added, “if it wasn’t for the dedication and long hours put in by our Superintendent Peter Livingston and our tremendous school board, none of this would have been possible.” As the school gears up for the August 20th hybrid launch the staff is making sure that the safeguards and procedures are fine-tuned. “We are continuing to work closely with our superintendent and the San Bernardino County Public Health department to ensure a safe learning environment for our students,” Mr. Anderson said. Credit also goes to the community’s families for showing their support for getting students back in the classroom, he added. “It truly says something about our town and how they value the importance of education and getting our kids safely back in school.” Superintendent Peter Livingston talked about Lucerne Valley Elementary School receiving approval to reopen to in-person learning in a video on YouTube. Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWuQbiQ2_L8&feature=youtu.be

SSDA Associate Salesforce helps Bay Area school districts with 17 million donation. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.sfgate.com/education/amp/Salesforce-donates-9M-each-to-SFUSD-and-OUSD-15473855.php

Some Districts Struggling to Agree on Collective Bargaining Issues. https://edsource.org/2020/some-california-districts-teachers-struggle-to-agree-on-distance-learning/638027