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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
UPPER LAKE, Calif. – A two-vehicle crash resulted in minor injuries and caused a minor blockage on Highway 20 Thursday evening.
The collision, involving a sedan and a pickup, occurred shortly before 6:30 p.m. on West Highway 20 near Old Highway 20 not far from the Lake and Mendocino County line, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Reports from the scene said the pickup was on its side following the crash.
Cal Fire and CHP units from Mendocino County and Northshore Fire from Lake County responded to the crash, where both eastbound lanes of Highway 20 were reported to be blocked.
Firefighters called for extrication tools due to one person being trapped in a vehicle.
Radio reports indicated there were two patients, both with minor injuries. One later was transported to Sutter Lakeside Hospital in Lakeport.
The CHP reported that advance warning was needed to warn drivers approaching the scene. Flares were reportedly placed at the scene.
Fire Chief Jay Beristianos terminated the incident at 7:46 p.m., according to scanner traffic.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Gang Task Force made seven arrests during a countywide gang sweep conducted late last month.
The Lake County Gang Task Force operation took place on Monday, Jan. 23, according to Sgt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Brooks said the purpose of the sweep was to conduct parole and probation searches.
Arrested were Justin Thomas Cordero, 27, of Clearlake, probation violation; Aaron Lee Pifer, 22, of Nice, probation violation; Brandy Nichole Lopez, 22, of Lucerne, under the influence of a controlled substance; Shawn Patrick Stallings, 38, of Lakeport, parole violation; Curtis Frank Anderson III, 39, of Lucerne, probation violation; Rickey Lee Floyd Jr., 27, of Clearlake, under the influence of a controlled substance; and 25-year0old Nicholas Stephen Jarvis of Kelseyville, who had a misdemeanor arrest warrant.
The task force is comprised of personnel from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Lakeport Police Department, Clearlake Police Department, California Highway Patrol and the Lake County Probation Department, Brooks said.
During the Jan. 23 sweep, the task force was divided into two teams. Brooks said one team worked in the city of Clearlake and the other team worked in the North end of the county.
He said they conducted 25 probation and parole searches and five warrant services, and noted the task force considered the operation to have been very successful.
Brooks said the task force’s continuing proactive enforcement efforts are designed to send a clear message to criminals, gang members and drug dealers that Lake County will not tolerate their illicit endeavors.
Anyone with information that can assist the Lake County Sheriff’s Gang Task Force or Narcotics Task Force with this effort is encouraged to call the anonymous tip line at 707-263-3663.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
The Legislature has passed a bill to restore school transportation funding, and the North Coast’s legislators are urging Gov. Jerry Brown to sign it.
On Thursday morning SB 81 passed the Assembly, moving on to be heard and passed in both the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee before the full Senate passed it 26-8.
SB 81 seeks to undo the trigger cut made by Gov. Jerry Brown which eliminates funding for the Home-to-School Transportation Program.
The bill would replace the $248 million cut to the transportation program, which disproportionately impacts rural and low income students, with a much smaller, more equitable reduction which impacts all school districts in California.
The midyear cuts amounted to a loss of $875,000 in transportation funding for Lake County schools, according to the Lake County Office of Education.
Both Sen. Noreen Evans and Assemblyman Wes Chesbro, Lake County’s state legislators, are urging the governor to sign the bill.
Following the vote on the bill, Chesbro requested that the bill be fast-tracked in order for it to get to the governor as soon as possible.
“I am grateful that many of my colleagues joined me in getting SB 81 passed so swiftly,” Chesbro said. “Quick passage of this bill is especially important because of the impacts on children and their educational opportunities. Many school districts in my area are considering laying off personnel and some have already sent out pink slips.”
“Children can’t learn if they can’t get to school,” said Evans. “SB 81 was the result of both houses and both sides of the aisle coming together to find a solution that will get kids to school.”
“Today, thousands of parents and students are relieved to hear our leaders agree we must keep our school buses rolling,” said Allan Clark, president of the California School Employees Association. “School buses are by far the safest way to get kids to school, so we hope the governor will quickly sign this bill.”
SB 81 was introduced by the Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review, of which Evans is a member.
Home to School Transportation is particularly important to rural schools on the North Coast. Cuts in transportation funding can cause a double hit on school districts’ budgets. Without SB 81, school districts would lose large chunks of transportation funding and then lose out on ADA funding due to students inability to get to school.
“This is the survival of my community," Chesbro added. “The future of these communities depends on educating children and getting them to school.”
SB 81 is headed to the governor for his consideration and will go into effect immediately if it is signed. Brown has reportedly indicated his support for the legislation.
Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Google+, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
NOTE: The article has been updated to reflect the board's final decision on the credential screening process.
LOWER LAKE, Calif. – As it's facing one of its biggest financial challenges in recent years – the need to cut $2.8 million from its 2012-13 budget – the Konocti Unified School District also is beginning the process of searching for a new superintendent.
Dr. Bill MacDougall, who rose from the position of Carlé Continuation High School principal four years ago to be district superintendent, has announced he'll retire at the end of June.
MacDougall told Lake County News on Wednesday night that he submitted his resignation letter to the board just before Christmas.
The selection process for his successor was on the agenda of a more than four-hour-long Wednesday night meeting, at which the board also had its first public discussion regarding a zero based budget model.
MacDougall and the district management team are proposing that zero based budget model – which focuses on providing the bare minimum services and then building upward – in order to reduce the coming year’s budget by $2.8 million.
Getting the district through the current budgeting process is a priority for MacDougall before he retires, he told Lake County News.
In addition to the $2.8 million reduction in funding the district is facing for 2012-13, MacDougall said the district has experienced $3.6 million in reductions in the previous three years.
Board Trustee Hank Montgomery requested the board discuss the new superintendent search and establish guidelines for the process, as well as the compensation they would offer.
The board asked MacDougall for his opinion on how the recruitment should take place.
He proposed they welcome applications both from within the district and from outside.
“It's a very important position,” he said. “It's a very important time for Konocti.”
MacDougall said the zero based model is meant to offer building blocks for the future, and he said he believed it will make the district strong – both educationally and fiscally – going forward.
“At that point you're looking for the vision for the future,” he said.
MacDougall recently attended a conference for superintendents in Monterey and handed out fliers on the job to assistant superintendents and superintendents from all over the state.
“There are excellent candidates both in house and outside,” he said.
MacDougall also met a retired headhunter while in Monterey, and told him about the district. He said he spoke with pride about Konocti Unified in his conversation with the man. “There's a lot to be proud of here.”
In turn, MacDougall said the man offered his services – which it was noted at the meeting generally run between $10,000 and $20,000 for an executive recruitment – for free to help the district.
MacDougall said he believes the district can find the right person, and hopes that they find a successor far stronger and more knowledgeable than he is.
Board President Anita Gordon assured MacDougall that the future superintendent would have big shoes – or, offered Board member Herb Gura, sneakers – to fill.
Montgomery wanted the board to have an active part in screening candidates up front, suggesting that the Lake County Office of Education could begin the process by double-checking credentials.
The board set a March 30 deadline for applications, with applications to be forwarded immediately to Marty Aarreberg in the superintendent’s office for a credential check instead of the Lake County Office of Education.
In the middle of April the board will meet to begin its own applicant screenings, with the goal of having initial interviews start the last week of April in hopes of having a candidate selected by the end of May.
A 17-member committee of composed of teachers, classified employees, board members, parents, community members and a student representative will take part, said Gordon.
Beyond the selection process, the board had to decide what salary range it could offer.
MacDougall's salary, including benefits, is just over $121,000 a year. Gordon said he has refused to take any raises during his four years as superintendent.
That salary is well below the state average for similarly sized schools of $148,000, said district Business Manager Laurie Desimone.
It’s also low based on a countywide comparison of school district superintendent salaries and benefit packages district staff presented to the board, along with the superintendent's current job description.
That countywide salary comparison shows that while MacDougall heads the largest school district in the county – with more than 3,000 students – he is the second-lowest paid superintendent. Only the Lucerne Elementary School superintendent receives less.
The survey showed that the highest-paid superintendent in the county is Upper Lake Elementary’s, with more than $146,000 in salary and more than $15,000 in benefits, for a total of just over $162,000.
During the meeting, a teacher told the board that he and fellow teachers wanted the job description to include a requirement of past teaching experience in order for the candidate to have an understanding of their work. They also wanted to see a workshop take place to discuss desirable traits for MacDougall's successor.
Ultimately, after discussing whether to offer a range or a single number, board members took Desimone's suggestion of listing MacDougall's salary in the recruitment materials and offering to make that amount negotiable based on experience.
MacDougall agreed that offering to be negotiable on the final amount is one way to appeal to candidates.
He worried that his salary level may not attract many candidates, noting that many of the superintendents he met recently at the Monterey conference were making $250,000 and up in the $300,000-plus range.
“You want somebody who really wants the job,” he said.
MacDougall added that if a candidate is looking for a district where they can serve people, Konocti Unified is an incredible district for that.
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