International Baccalaureate
ABC+ would like to thank the many donors and volunteers for their contributions to help keep challenging academic programs alive at Santa Ynez High during these tough economic times. Our community defied the odds and helped ABC+ reach the Herculean goal by raising $140,000 in five months. Unfortunately, our School Board of Education and Administration voted against an IB public/private partnership with a 4-1 vote.
ABC+’s model and vision are public/private partnerships similar to ones enjoyed by Dos Pueblos High School, an IB school in Goleta, who attracts generous financial support from their community for their prestigious Engineering Academy. Recent donations include $1 million from Dr. Virgil Elings, $175,000 from Raytheon Company, and $100,000 from Ann and Michael Towbes.
The huge capital outlay and years invested in bringing IB to Santa Ynez High was a result of the hard work of visionaries. We thank them for their effort to bring 21st century, “out of the box” thinking to our community high school. The International Baccalaureate Program is recognized worldwide and highlighted in Race to the Top, the national competition for education reform and rewarding top teachers.
In addition to saying “no thanks” to ABC+, the Santa Ynez High School Administration also declined to participate in the Race to the Top grant application, a $700 million funding opportunity for California schools. This was a non-binding application for funding. Ballard School, Los Olivos and Santa Barbara County School Districts submitted an application for the opportunity to receive funding. Santa Ynez Valley Union High School chose not to submit an application.
Our children only have one chance when it comes to education. The recent events will not deter ABC+ from advancing its mission to support academic excellence and insure rigorous and challenging academic programs for our motivated, college-bound students. Our youth and innovative education are the future of our country.
Michelle de Werd
President, ABC+
Los Olivos
Buellton Tea Party
I attended my first Tea Party meeting the other day in Buellton. There were a lot of people attending and some nice speeches by politicians. After the meeting was over someone asked me what I thought of it? I told him!
What is the difference when the Democrats’ Candidates telling all to vote for them and voters will get all kinds of goodies and we all will live happily ever after.
Compared with the Republicans’ Candidates telling to vote for them and they will get tax cuts and we all will live happily ever after! What a bunch of pablum!
Both parties are trying to convince all voters to get in on the party wagon and we will party while we speed toward the cliff going 100 miles an hour. Is this the way to solve our problems? We as a country and state, as well as the city of Santa Barbara are broke.
Some time ago I was listening to the late news from the Santa Barbara TV station doing an interview with the former mayor Susan Rose. She was telling she had just finished negotiating the new city contracts with the SEIU union. She was telling the union had asked for a 9 percent increase in wages, but they had been so nice to settle for a 5 percent increase. Was it not nice? She said she knew they did not have any money, but she would find a way to give it to them anyway. This at a time when most others were settling for much less income, either as an employee or an employer in private business.
My hair stood up straight on my head when I heard her say that. Who was she representing? Was she paid off by the unions? What she should have said, you ask for a 9 percent increase in wages, I will offer you a 20 percent decrease in wages and now let us start negotiating. You go down one percent in your demand and I might offer you a 19 percent decrease and let us see where we meet. You demanded a 20-year career until retirement; I will offer 40 years or 75 years of age, which ever come first, to retirement. Now we can negotiate that also in the same way. If they would call for a strike in retaliation, tell them they will all be fired the day before the strike date. Then they can apply for a new contract under the new terms. Remember the unemployment checks will run out in six months and there will be no extensions. If they prefer to not apply, maybe they can get a job as a gardener with the openings coming up, after all the illegal immigrants are sent back to their countries.
Wake up and realize we are broke. We should be ashamed, having used up all our wealth and are now starting to use our children’s and grand children’s money. We have to realize the old way of living here is over. A new reality is here. The front wheels of the party wagon are already over the cliff. We need people to represent us that have some backbone, someone like Ronald Reagan. Where are they?
Arne Hansen
Santa Ynez
Job well done
I enjoy your paper, and just read your Santa Ynez Valley Journal issue for March 4-10, Volume 8, Issue 9.
On pages 18-19 is an article about the Los Prietos Boys Camp. Thank you for that article. At a time when state and county budgets are being chopped, and educational programs hugely affected, it is timely to point out the positive programs for young people that will be negatively affected by these cuts. One thing that I’d like to point out is how local businesses and county agencies work together to support a program such as one that you showcase in this article, Construction Technology.
This program is an ROP program, which stands for Regional Occupational Program. ROP is part of Santa Barbara County Education Office and develops, runs and supports career and technical education (previously known as “vocational education”) programs in our local high schools and this program here at camp.
The construction program has been a creative endeavor, since it is serving students in an “alternative setting.” This particular program is in place due to a generous grant, and is an excellent example of a variety of agencies working together to make it successful. JCCS (Juvenile Court and Community Schools) runs the Los Prietos High School, ROP offers the Construction course, and PIE (Partners in Education) has helped in organizing and providing speakers from industry on an ongoing basis for these students in the program.
Local business owners such as Doug Ford, Don Gordon, Frank Schipper and more have taken a very active role in speaking themselves, and offering their employees the opportunity to speak to these boys to help them see the productive future they can create for themselves if they get involved and learn the trade. These business partners also take time to demonstrate a variety of skills, such as hanging a door and building a wall, to the students in the ROP Construction Technology course, and share from their hearts and experience how to build the “soft skills” to become successful in the world of work.
I just wanted to share one facet of this valuable program that is offered up at camp that would not be as successful if our local organizations and community members did not see the value of working together to help make a better future for young people who could really benefit by learning a respected trade.
Sheryl Malone
ROP Director, South County
Santa Barbara County Education Office
Managed retreat?
There is currently a plan before the Board of Supervisors for Goleta Beach Park called managed retreat. This plan, if implemented, will result in a loss of one-third of the parking spots, more than one third of the beach and cost multiple millions of dollars.
There are alternatives to this plan, which is a response to sand loss during the winter. The alternatives are less expensive, environmentally friendly and preserve the park as it now exists. All of Santa Barbara County has a stake in this park, both for its recreational uses as well as the expenses. This is no time for the county to support an expensive plan that will result in less access to a public beach.
Gregory Smith
Goleta