Update From Scotts Valley Unified School District Superintendent - June 5

Press release from the Scotts Valley Unified School District:

June 5, 2020

Dear Scotts Valley Parent Community,

We made it!

Congratulations to students, staff, and parents for the completion of this very different school year. I know this is in no way what we anticipated 2020 to look like but here we are. We are making the necessary adjustments as we accept our new normal, and we are making the best of every situation that comes before us.

A big shout out to the efforts made for the fifth grade promotions at both Vine Hill and Brook Knoll schools. While it was far from the traditional promotion ceremony, it was still very special, unique, and enjoyed by all participants. Thank you to the fifth grade teams at each site that helped make this happen.

The SVMS eighth grade car parade promotion celebration was a hit! I was able to observe this celebratory event parked in my car (mask on), accompanied by Assistant Superintendent Stewart (mask on) as students and their families, with many decorated cars and a variety of celebratory expressions displayed, drove through the parking lot loop. The Scotts Valley Middle School administration and staff really put out a lot of heart for this celebratory event. I think some of the students enjoyed the car parade more than the traditional promotion ceremony! Scotts Valley Middle School has also posted a promotion ceremony on its website. Great job doing your best to celebrate our students' promotion to the ninth grade!

We are saddened and disappointed that we were not able to hold our traditional Scotts Valley High School graduation ceremony yesterday. The students chose to hold out for a later date when, hopefully, some of the restrictions will be lifted. However, the high school administration, staff, students, and parents, all made efforts to provide a variety of activities for seniors. Student Government held a virtual prom, there’s a message from students to staff on the high school website, and also a goodbye and congratulations message posted yesterday from the staff to the seniors. In addition to senior awards being delivered to students’ homes, as well as the senior pick up day at Scotts Valley High School. We are hopeful that restrictions will be lifted so that we can hold some type of graduation ceremony or celebration, and if not, we will offer an alternative plan in late June, or July.

We sent out a parent survey last week, and in one week, we received a record number of responses, over 80% (nearly 2000 responses!) Thank you so much to those of you who took the time to share with us your thoughts and feelings. So many of the responses were those of true appreciation and thankfulness for the work the district community has done to transition to remote learning, and again, we thank you for partnering with us. As you would expect, responses varied, but there were some definite themes. Our focus during the school closure was to support students in keeping up with the necessary skills and continue to have access to learning. While many families appreciated the flexible schedules and assignments, one of the biggest requests was for structure and regular schedules. While parents overwhelmingly appreciated time at home with their children to work with them and help them dig into the curriculum, they also expressed the need for support and resources. Other things that parents noticed were that their children became more independent and their technology skills improved, although many students remained, or became, unfocused or unmotivated. As you can imagine, there are countless suggestions regarding how schools should reopen in the fall. Some families believe we should continue online instruction only, some would like us to return in small groups or offer a hybrid program, and some of you expressed that we should return to full-time school. As stated throughout these updates, we are working with the County Health Department, the Santa Cruz County Office of Education, and as a district team, to determine all of the possible scenarios. We are planning the details and specifics for the different scenarios, and are considering the ideas, suggestions, and concerns from our staff and parent surveys, as we make these decisions.

For the reopening of schools, we will be planning over the summer and taking into consideration the parent survey results, staff survey results, student performance, public health parameters, and budgetary considerations. We also have to take into consideration the collective bargaining agreements with our employees.

We are currently planning for high, medium, and potentially low public health restrictions for returning to school in the fall. We have to look at program and staffing needs which vary significantly between high restrictions, and medium restrictions. We are trying so hard to accommodate everyone’s wishes and desires but due to our limited resources, we simply cannot do that, and I apologize in advance that I can’t make that happen for all of you.

We will be taking into consideration a more structured weekly schedule, focusing on instruction, and looking at how we can provide small group support to our most needy students. You’ll be hearing from us over the summer as we work toward these program options. Thank you so much for your input and support as we transition into a new way to provide public school instruction and program implementation.

Congratulations! You are officially in summer. School sites will be closing up during this month, but at the district level, we will be open over the course of the summer and planning for the preparation of the reopening of schools in the fall. We will be in touch during the summer with our reopening plans.

With sincere appreciation,

Tanya Krause, Superintendent

This press release was produced by the Scotts Valley Unified School District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.