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Redwood Times
An estimated 250 people from Southern Humboldt including students, parents, bus drivers, school staff, members of the board of trustees, and community members made an epic journey to the state capitol in Sacramento last Tuesday, Jan. 24, to rally in support of home-to-school transportation for rural school districts.
A team made up of a student, a bus driver, two parents, the school superintendent, and three trustees of the Southern Humboldt Unified School District Board, met face-to-face with State Senator Noreen Evans and State Assemblyman Wesley Chesbro in their offices, while the others rallied on the Capitol lawn, expressing their feelings with signs and chants.
Ever since the California legislature cut funding to school transportation programs in response to state budget shortfalls earlier this month, SoHum residents have responded by writing letters and emails to their representatives, explaining how the loss of school transportation impacts rural students and their communities.
Concerned parents and SHUSD superintendent Jim Stewart organized the trek after securing appointments with Evans and Chesbro in their Sacramento offices.
The caravan included two school buses carrying a total of 60 students as well as many private cars carrying parents, school employees, other bus drivers, trustees, and community members. They left South Fork High School in Miranda at 5:30 a.m., picked up younger students at Redway Elementary at 6 a.m., and got everyone back to Redway and SFHS by 11 p.m. that night.
At 1:30 on Tuesday afternoon the team, comprised of board of trustees chair Dennis O'Sullivan, school superintendent Jim Stewart, SFHS student Sydney Fishman, bus driver Robin Craig, and parents Clover Willison and Carmen Etter, met with Evans.
The SoHum team emphasized the dire effects of the cuts on rural districts like SHUSD, as well as the need for both immediate relief for the rest of the school year and long-term relief so that schools can plan for the following school year, Stewart said.
SFHS junior Sydney Fishman told the legislators that many of her friends and fellow students were feeling angry and hopeless because the school bus is their only way to get to school.
The high school could be forced to close if students can't get to school reliably, leaving no high school in SoHum, an area that has often been compared to Rhode Island in size.
Closing SFHS would lead to a "chain reaction," said Fishman. "It lessens our chances of getting a college education and it would dampen the whole community." Some of her friends and their families are already talking about relocating so that they can attend Mattole Valley High School, or schools in Eureka, Arcata, or Willits.
"Kids are supposed to think they're the future, but we're not being treated like that" by state government, Fishman explained to the Redwood Times in a phone interview last week.
Clover Willison, whose daughter is a SFHS junior and whose two sons are Redway Elementary School students, said that even though her children don't rely on school buses, "I'm keenly aware of what will happen to us if there's no [home to school] transportation."
The loss of Average Daily Attendance payments, which are paid to the school district per student per day, would mean overcrowded classrooms, too many additional vehicles leading to road deterioration, and a decline in local property values, effects felt by everyone in the area.
Team members were pleased with Evans's and Chesbro's response. They all agreed that North Coast representatives were "very receptive; they're on our side and advocating for us," as Willison said.
The legislators were impressed with the huge turnout from SoHum. Evans said she had never seen anything like it. She had received letters, calls, and emails from other parts of the state about the transportation cuts, but had seen no community delegations yet, let alone one as big as the one on the Capitol lawn that day.
While the team was meeting with legislators in their office, SoHum supporters gathered near a side entrance to the building to wait for reports. They were greeted by Capitol workers going in and out, who cheered them on, telling them, "You're doing great! Keep up the good work!" Stewart said.
Assemblyman Chesbro addressed the rally outside the Capitol building and then led a group of students to Governor Jerry Brown's office.
Although the governor was not in his office when they arrived, the students delivered a packet of letters asking him to sign legislation restoring transportation funds.
Evans has sponsored an amendment to SB 81, slated to go before the legislature's Budget Committee Jan. 31.
Evans's amendment will spread out the budget cuts among all the students in the California public school system rather than simply eliminating funds for school transportation.
This means that although the overall school budget will remain the same, funding for every student in the state will be cut by an additional $48 for the balance of this school year in order to restore transportation funds.
Loss of money for buses has cost about $600 per SHUSD student. Evans's amendment to SB 81 will therefore create "a fairer distribution of resources," Superintendent Stewart said.
Eighty-eight school districts, about 10 percent of all school districts in California, which represent less than 10 percent of students enrolled in public schools, are identified as rural and remote, Stewart added.
Even if both houses of the legislature pass SB 81, Governor Brown must sign it before it can become law.
"This is only the beginning; we've got a long way to go, and lots of other people to convince," Willison said, a sentiment echoed by Fishman, who said that while she's happy to know that Evans and Chesbro "are on our side, I also feel discouraged because SB 81 is only a temporary plan, and they have no permanent plan. We need to know what's going to happen next year so students and their families can make plans over the summer."
Fishman thanked Stewart for planning and organizing the event and the parents for driving, making signs, and helping in many ways. She also thanked the bus drivers: "It was a long day and a long drive for them. They were awesome!" she exclaimed.
Cinnamon Paula and the parents who worked on the Bus Stop to Nowhere group "deserve a world of thanks" for helping to organize the trip and keeping everyone informed, Willison said. "We would not have come together without Cinnamon's work."
Everyone agreed that the most important thing people can do now is keep the pressure on legislators and on the governor.
"Keep writing letters, sending emails, making phone calls, and stopping by legislators' offices when you're in Sacramento," Willison advised. "Keep our hopes up, keep the message out there!" said Fishman.
To support the reinstatement of transportation funding for our schools, contact the persons listed below:
1. Governor's Legislative Affairs
916-445-4341
Governor Jerry Brown
State Capitol
Sacramento, CA 95814
2. Nick Schweizer
Manager of Education Division
(916) 445-0328
Department of Finance
915 L Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
photo captions:
PHOTOS BY REBECCA CROSSLAND
1. Ernie Branscomb passes along the message.
2. Thank you to our bus drivers from left to right Matt Stark, Michelle Bushnell, Bobby Lahr, Denise Hebard, Misty Carr, Mary Hayes, and Tom Booth.
3. Logan Hobbs hand delivers his letter to Assemblymember Wes Chesbro.
4. Southern Humboldt was very well represented last Tuesday at the Capitol in Sacramento.
5. Bella Volz-Broughton and Sophia Studebaker show their support.
