Tehachapi School Board news

Addressing the Tehachapi School Board on Jan.13, Mary Beth Garrison, one of the founding members of COMMUNITY CLEAN SWEEP, reported on the recycling project launched at Golden Hills Elementary School last year. COMMUNITY CLEAN SWEEP, which has been in existence since 1989, works with the county, cities and school districts to raise awareness of the importance of recycling.

Ms. Garrison's program uses puppets like Dulce Roja (fox) and Sebastian (skunk) to educate school children on the importance of good stewardship of the planet. Last year, J. Torres Recycling placed a blue cart in each Golden Hills classroom with the promise that the school would receive the proceeds from the recyclables collected during the school year. Alianza Recycling and Recovery joined the program by holding an electronic waste recycling day.

At the school board meeting, Golden Hills principal Kendra Bailey received the benefits of the school's recycling projects. She was presented with a check from Neil Agness of Alianza for $208 and a check for $1,228.63 from Joe Torres.

COMMUNITY CLEAN SWEEP holds their program at only one school a year and this year it will involve Tompkins Elementary.

Other School Board matters

Cummings Valley School Principal Traci Minjares presented an update on the school's activities. She reported that this year Cummings Valley added a reading teacher and a computer teacher. In the area of Special Education, the SDC (Special Day Classes) preschool from Tompkins has been moved to Cummings Valley to join the K-2 and 2-3 classes currently in existence. An Autism class was added in November that now has four students. STEM Club meets monthly and so far has been introduced to the concepts of buoyancy and rocketry. An old outbuilding is being refurbished to serve as a science lab.

The School Board was required to vote on a California Department of Education waiver of time requirements in order to have both half day and full day kindergarten at any school. Regulations require that a school may have one or the other and all three elementary schools have both. Several school districts, including Tehachapi, have opted to add full day kindergarten on a trial basis not realizing that a waiver was required. Although the waiver was approved with a five to one vote, TAT representative Tracey Cunningham went on record stating that the kindergarten teachers were unhappy that they were not consulted before adding full day kindergarten.

Also of interest, Board President Mary Graham announced that the board had received a letter of resignation from Trustee Norman Haughness who joined the school board on June 23rd. The appointed position will be advertised and interviews held for the seat that expires at the end of November.