Reflections

of Oct. 8, 2002

Members of the class of 2004 in the Southern Humboldt Unified School District were holding their own against their cohorts in the other districts in Humboldt County and were significantly ahead of the statewide average in completing the California High School Exit Exam.

The examination, which had to be passed successfully in the 2003-2004 academic year in order to receive a high school diploma, covered skills in mathematics and English language arts.

The testing had begun in the year 2001, when the class of 2004 was still in the ninth grade.

Figures provided on the State Department of Education website indicated that better than 62 percent of SHUSD students had passed both sections of the test. Statewide, just 48 percent of the students in the class of 2004 had passed both sections of the test.

Because the exit exams conformed to state standards that had just been established, most schools had found it necessary to adjust their curriculum and textbooks to instruct students in subject matters on the test.

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A water pump intended to serve the Southern Humboldt Community Park that was under development on some 500 acres of the former Tooby Ranch had been placed in the South Fork of the Eel River, thanks to funding from a $22,000 grant.

Though the pump was not yet operational, the promoter of the park project stated that the water would be needed for the spring season.

Connections to the well, consisting of a trench for distribution pipe and another for an electrical service conduit were already in place across Camp Kimtu Road. The pipes from the well headed toward an electrical pole and an application had been made with PG&E for a service drop at that point to power controls for the well’s pump.

The project promoter said the project had been undertaken in consultation with a number of agencies.

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In an effort to come up with a set of principles that accurately reflected the community’s philosophy, goals, objectives and comprehensive plans for education, members of the Southern Humboldt Unified School District were planning an extensive workshop facilitated by an expert from the California School Boards Association.

The members of the school board hoped to go into the session armed with input from the public as to what such a guiding vision would consist of. Trustees reviewed the current mission statement, philosophy and goals, and considered how to encourage parents and other residents to express their views on the matter.

The school board also reported that they made some reductions in spending as a part of the district’s fiscal recovery program, but were barely keeping up with increasing costs and other demands on budget funds.

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Veterans of Foreign Wars Chapter 6354 and American Legion Post 494 of Garberville were the only parties to the agreement with the county of Humboldt relating to the operation and maintenance of the John Haynes Memorial Hall.