“COVID did us no favors,” Jordana Ridland said of the effect of the pandemic on educating students and the persistent decline in enrollment in Rim of the World Unified School District. The same could be said of the Lake Arrowhead Communities Republican Women whose membership dropped dramatically during the pandemic ban on meetings. However, the room where they were meeting at Alpine Camp and Conference Center on March 25 showed a healthy regrowth in the organization, and they look forward to further growth in attendance and participation. A newly-implemented membership option is “Angel Members,” i.e. members paying the dues for others.
Program Chair/First Vice President Gale Hunt reported on the recent statewide Republican gathering. Jay Obernolte gave assurances that nothing will change with Social Security and Medicare payments because they are in a trust fund (except for the 300-year-old recipients and the like, an attendee observed). “Smitty” Thurston Smith will be running to replace Tom Lackey.
Photos and a report from the Presidential Inauguration events attended by several of the members were included with the impressive packet given to attendees. Gale Hunt and Mary Kay Bachman were also recently given a private tour of Turning Point USA in Phoenix. Besides meeting with young adults from across the country in the training “War Room,” they met the developer of SCORECARD. They are seeking a Turning Point representative for Rim High.
After reports of local, statewide, and national Republican leadership gatherings, Rim of the World Unified School District Board members Jordana Ridland and Scott Craft were introduced to the group. Reiterating that that they were not representing the Rim School Board for this meeting, the two spoke candidly and answered questions about issues concerning education from their wealth of experience as students, parents, teachers and current Board members.
The setbacks from the months of isolation and the difficulty of instructing students online without physical presence in a classroom with a teacher are difficult to overcome. Funding for the District is an ongoing frustration. San Bernardino schools receive an average of $8000 per student more than Rim schools, Craft said. Teachers are underpaid in the local district. Classrooms are underfunded, and sports have to raise $20,000 to $30,000 to provide equipment and to be able to participate in intermural sporting events. Ridland said it is heartbreaking to go to conventions with teachers from other schools and hear them say, “We don’t know how we can spend all this money!” while Rim schools struggle. Transportation costs are high because very few students walk to school. Maintenance costs are high because of severe weather’s effects on the facilities. Some local parents are reluctant to respond to what they perceive as “We’re from the government; please give us your information.” Greater input from families reluctant to report income and other qualifying criteria would help the District receive more state funding. The so-called “Local Control Fair Funding” (officially Local Control Funding Formula) is anything but fair. Craft’s advice to the protesting teachers who come to school board meetings is to express their grievances to the State and to their local legislators; they are in control. He added that teachers’ unions keep people divided by pitting teachers against school boards.
“We need bus drivers,” Ridland said in response to a question from one of those present. Training is required, and right now the trainer is having to drive because of the shortage. Charter bus companies are sometimes hired, and ten-seater vans that the District owns can also be used. Parents previously were not allowed to drive their children to schools, but now they are.
Another attendee asked when air conditioning would be installed in classrooms and roofs repaired after the passage of the bond issue. Another priority is generators, Ridland added before explaining that a Measure E oversight committee (which is required to put together the prioritized spending plan) is being formed. It will meet about four times per year for about ten hours total. Three people have been approved and four are required, but ten would be ideal, she said. The School District website has information.
Security is a major concern, Craft added. Doors with locks, the ability to buzz people in, fencing around schools, along with roof repairs that have already been started, are top priorities. Three schools qualify for matching funds from the state because of their age. A company has been hired to seek grants for the schools, although the district is competing for grant funds with schools that were damaged in the recent fires.
Ridland added that Superintendent Paul Sevillano is doing “a fantastic job seeking funding.” Craft affirmed that he is one of the best superintendents the district has ever had and that it is a great blessing that he happened to move to the mountain at the right time and that he and his wife are raising two grandchildren who attend Rim schools. Craft added with enthusiasm, “He is a former coach and a wrestler too!”
“What about gifted students?” another attendee asked. “You shared about funding for low income and struggling students.” Dr. Sevillano has negotiated a collaboration with California State University San Bernardino for a watershed project in Lake Gregory, the speakers replied. Classes will be held at Rim High and taught by AP teachers. Students will have dual enrollment and receive college credit as well as high school credit.
For such a small school, Rim High has lots of opportunities, enthused the WASC (Western Association of Schools and College) accreditation committee that visited recently. CTE (Career and Technical Education), which was formerly called ROP (Regional Occupation Program), provides excellent opportunities through internships with local businesses. “Dirty Jobs,” one audience member said, referencing Mike Rowe’s programs. Truck drivers are in training, and Dr. Sevillano intends to bring back Adult Education. Marketable skills are an important part of an education, all agreed.
The subject of behavior problems arose. Gale Hunt said, “I have a lifetime teaching credential, so I’m familiar with this problem.” Some who have challenging teaching situations are being coached by more experienced colleagues who help them with strategies for classroom discipline. The Wellness Center at Mountain Counseling and Training in Crestline is a good place to turn. Care Solace was also mentioned as a good resource. Their website explains, “Care Solace helps school districts to provide wraparound support for every student, staff member, and family member in need.” Their website also states, “Schools are overwhelmed with the increased demand for mental health support.” As their website states:
1 in 6 youth and 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience a mental health disorder each year.
14% is the percentage of districts that meet the recommended student-to-counselor ratio.
50%+ of people who need mental health support don’t receive the care they need.
One audience member mentioned that that she had heard about a school chaplain program on television the night before. (https://www.nationalschoolchaplainassociation.org) It is legal in all 50 states. Jordana Ridland noted that Dr. Bill Mellinger, a Board member and a pastor, had sometimes helped to counsel local students. Some campus clubs have pastors as sponsors as well.
Starting next year, a semester of DEI (Diversity/Equity/Inclusion) education will be required. Ridland said that the Rim staff had developed the curriculum and that it celebrates diversity rather than being divisive, and the focus of the inclusion portion is to include special ed students to a greater degree. “We’re still a merit-based school,” Craft added, noting that some schools are talking about getting rid of grades and valedictorian recognition.
Mary Kay Bachman asked if the rumor was true that some teachers had come to a Rim School Board meeting to request a change to traditional math and away from Common Core. The answer was yes. As a former math teacher, Ridland addressed the options: Traditional Math at the high school level: Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Trigonometry, and Calculus. Integrated Math consists of combined Algebra and Geometry: Integrated I, II, and III, and then Calculus. The school district switched from Traditional to Integrated, and some teachers at the high school want to go back to Traditional Math. “It would have to be a phased-in approach” to revert, she added. School districts are expected to adopt new textbooks every eight years, and last year the state Department of Education adopted a new Math Framework, for which new textbooks are currently being written. Any change made now would have the district buying textbooks which would be phased out. She admitted to being a big fan of the old math books, saying “Math is math is math.” However, in order not be sued, the District must have textbooks that are aligned to the state standards. “Hopefully there will be good ones in the mix,” she said of the textbooks scheduled to come out in a couple of years. She added that the Integrated Math textbooks she has seen do not do a good job of teaching. The audience member who raised the subject said she had cared for a little girl during COVID, taken her to Subway and taught her about making change, helped her memorize her multiplication tables—and then been reprimanded by the second grade teacher when the girl returned to classroom instruction. A criterion for evaluating math achievement is asking how local students compare with the best-performing schools—and asking what math books and teaching methods they use. Test scores are the way schools are evaluated—and where the state puts its money. Competition motivates students to care about their test scores more than standardized tests indicate.
Another query from the audience was whether Rotary would still be allowed to come onto campuses and offer programs to students. “Absolutely,” Craft replied. The close ties between the high school and the community received kudos from the WASC evaluation team.
ALA shoreline cleanup and the Running Springs Farmers Market were promoted as fundraisers and fun activities for the local Republican Women organization. Meetings are held on the fourth Tuesday of each month, with the exception of June when Congressman Jay Obernolte will be the speaker. Newsletters and Facebook will provide the information about time and place. They also requested help in finding a campus Turning Point USA leader. “Start basic. Start local,” Mary Kay Bachman admonished. Run for office or encourage people you know to run—and support them. She introduced Robin Bull, who is now Supervisor Dawn Rowe’s mountain representative, just before Bull was announced as the winner of the night’s raffle. Bachman’s final reminder was an admonition to support the Unite IE (Unite Inland Empire) organization whose activities are posted at unite-ie.com.