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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lakeport Unified School District Board of Trustees on Thursday night selected its newest member.
During its regular meeting, held at the Marge Alakszay Center on the district campus, the board selected Jennifer Williams-Richardson to fill a board vacancy created last month when Trustee Jeannie Markham moved to Oregon.
Williams-Richardson was one of two community members who submitted a letter of interest to Superintendent Jill Falconer. The second was Wendy Mondfrans.
However, Falconer told the board on Thursday night that since the agenda had been posted earlier in the week, Mondfrans had withdrawn from consideration.
Board Chair Dan Buffalo said that in filling a board vacancy, the board can choose either to go to a special election or to appoint.
Noting that three of the board members – including Buffalo himself, Markham and Phil Kirby – had been reelected in the fall with no opposition, Buffalo said he was comfortable with appointing a new member.
With only one candidate to interview, the board reduced the number of questions they had planned to ask from 10 to six and took turns asking Williams-Richardson about her background, interests, experience and goals.
Williams-Richardson and her family moved from Santa Rosa to Lakeport in May. She has two children who attend school in the district.
She was the parent teacher association president at her children’s previous school, has served on a school site council and also said she has a wealth of knowledge about safety. She is employed as a bookkeeper.
So far, COVID-19 has prevented her from doing the kind of volunteer work she wants to do in the district, and she said she’s looking forward to helping in a classroom as soon as possible.
Asked about her experience in public schools, Williams-Richardson said there are a lot of things to be gained in public schools, noting that being around diverse groups prepares students to be more compassionate and open to other cultures. She added that she is mixed race herself.
Buffalo asked her about what she believes are the district’s biggest challenges. Williams-Richardson said she thought the district is doing an excellent job in its response to COVID-19. “Nobody knew what to expect.”
In response to another question from Buffalo, Williams-Richardson said her goal for her first year on the board is to find out the goals of other board members and discover where she can fit in.
Kirby said being a board member takes a lot of dedication, and after reading Williams-Richardson’s letter and hearing her responses, he was confident that she would be a valued board member.
Kirby then moved to approve Williams-Richardson’s provisional appointment to the board, which Carly Alvord seconded.
Before the vote, Buffalo noted that one of the most important things the board does is hire and fire the superintendent, and they’re now in the middle of hiring the successor for Falconer, who retires this summer.
Kirby asked if Williams-Richardson could be part of the superintendent candidate interviews the board has scheduled for all day Friday at the district office. Falconer said yes, if she’s available, adding that she had understood Williams-Richardson had to work that day.
In the roll call vote, the board unanimously voted for Williams-Richardson’s appointment.
Falconer then administered the oath of office to Williams-Richardson before she took a socially distanced seat next to Kirby.
The board finished up business in open session shortly before 7:30 p.m. and adjourned into closed session. Board members reemerged at 7:45 p.m. to announce they had voted to hire the candidates for several jobs and then Buffalo adjourned the meeting.
On Friday morning, the board will convene in closed session at 8 a.m. to interview superintendent candidates, discuss salary and benefits for the new superintendent, as well as the contract with that individual.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Mendocino National Forest staff are seeking input on a proposed multiphase, forestwide prescribed fire and fuels management strategy.
The project would use low intensity fires ignited under controlled conditions, along with manual and possibly mechanical removal methods to reduce debris and vegetation that could fuel more extreme wildfires in the future.
Forest officials issued a letter on Thursday requesting feedback on the proposed project.
Comments citing specific concerns that are submitted during the comment period allow the commenter legal standing to object to the final decision whether to proceed with the project.
Comments are due by Saturday, May 8.
The public is invited to attend one of two virtual open houses on Tuesday, April 20, to learn more about the project and to ask questions.
The first meeting is from 3 to 4 p.m. via Microsoft Teams at http://bit.ly/RxFire1. A call-in-only option is also available at 202-650-0123 (conference ID: 920 502 883#).
The second meeting is from 7 to 8 p.m. via Microsoft Teams at http://bit.ly/RxFire2. A call-in-only option is also available at 202-650-0123 (conference ID: 312 405 752#).
Both meetings will be identical in content and format.
The Mendocino Prescribed Fire and Fuels Management Project would allow for a landscape-scale environmental analysis for the explicit purpose of prescribed burning and fuel-reduction treatments across the entire forest, excluding designated wilderness areas.
This would afford additional opportunities for the Mendocino National Forest to treat more acres in a timely fashion by taking advantage of geographic and seasonal conditions while avoiding delays and inefficiencies associated with developing individualized, smaller-scale proposals.
Reducing the buildup of hazardous fuels supports forest officials’ goals of promoting healthier, more resilient forest stands.
“Taking a condition-based, landscape-scale approach to fuel reduction and fuels management will allow the forest to more quickly and effectively mitigate wildfire risks where it’s needed most and when conditions are most beneficial,” said Mendocino Forest Supervisor Ann Carlson.
The project also includes an alternative proposal to use mechanical methods, in addition to manual treatments, to remove vegetation or thin dense stands of trees in combination with prescribed fire.
A project description and maps can be found at https://go.usa.gov/xHC52.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
On Thursday, Gov. Gavin Newsom, Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego) and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) announced the $536 million funding plan to help improve California’s resilience to wildfires.
“With California facing another extremely dry year, it is critical that we get a head start on reducing our fire risk. We are doing that by investing more than half a billion dollars on projects and programs that provide improved fire prevention for all parts of California,” the governor and legislative leaders said in a joint statement.
The $536 million funding package, which is consistent with the Senate’s “Blueprint for a Fire Safe California” released last month, includes $125 million from Greenhouse Gas Reduction Funds and $411 million from the General Fund. State leaders said they also hope to draw federal disaster prevention grants to match money spent on home hardening.
The package includes multi-year funding on projects with both wildfire and drought resilience benefits, and Senate priorities such as Cal Fire grants for small landowners, funding for home hardening, urban greening and forestry, and funding for immediate, shovel-ready projects by conservancies from the Sierras to the Lower LA River and San Diego.
Highlights include:
· More than $280 million to create resilient wildlands and manage forest health;
· $200 million for development of wildfire fuel breaks;
· $30 million for community and home hardening;
· $25 million for forest sector economic stimulus;
· $3 million for science-based forest management.
The early action budget item will be amended into a budget bill and taken up by the Legislature in coming days. Details on this funding package can be found in SB 85 and AB 79.
“For every dollar we spend on wildfire prevention, our state saves $6 to $7 in damage. But it’s not just about saving money – this is about saving Californians’ lives, their homes, and their livelihoods,” Pro Tem Atkins said.
In the Thursday joint statement, state leaders said the key parts of the administration’s initial proposal have been supplemented by legislative ideas that they said will pay dividends over the years.
Those ideas include greater investments in forest health projects, improvements on defensible space, home hardening against fires, fire prevention grants, and prevention workforce training. The plan includes public and private lands vegetation management, community-focused efforts for prevention and resilience and economic stimulus for the forestry economy.
“Because we know that California’s fires are not limited to forested lands, we have built in attention to all kinds of vulnerable terrain and vegetation, with incentives for prevention that protects larger numbers of residents,” the group said.
They added, “We are pleased to have reached an agreement to get California quickly on the road to strong wildfire prevention, but we know more work is needed. This plan could not have been developed without the hard work of Assemblymembers Richard Bloom and Phil Ting, and Senators Bob Wieckowski, Susan Rubio and Mike McGuire, among others. We anticipate additional benefits from discussions on the 2021-2022 budget.”
“California is experiencing a never-ending crisis every summer and fall, losing tens of thousands of homes over the last decade and millions of acres of land burned over by mega fires,” said McGuire (D-Healdsburg), the Wildfire Working Group co-chair whose district includes Lake County.
“The Legislature and governor are moving with speed to pass the largest early budget action in state history investing in wildfire prevention and response. We know this half-of-a-billion-dollar investment will help make communities safer. And, there’s more work to come with a second round of funding this summer and a bold legislative package from the Senate that will focus on keeping California fire safe. We’re grateful to Pro Tem Atkins and Governor Newsom for their leadership on this critical issue, there’s much more work to come,” McGuire said.
“Wildfire prevention and response is a top priority in California, especially with drier conditions expected from this year’s drought. This plan makes sound investments in what we need to safeguard life and property. I applaud my fellow lawmakers for taking this proactive step toward avoiding the devastation we’ve seen over the past five years,” said Sen. Bill Dodd (D-Napa), formerly Lake County’s representative in the Assembly.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On April 2, the Konocti Unified School District announced its teachers of the year for each school site.
“These teachers embodied the dedication, creativity, and good humor that makes learning possible even in the most challenging of times – and this year has certainly been challenging,” said district Superintendent Becky Salato.
Teachers are selected for this honor by their peers.
Konocti Unified School Districtwide Teacher of the Year: Andrea Pullman
Burns Valley Elementary School chose instructional coach Andrea Pullman as their teacher of the year.
In her role, Pullman supports all teachers and students at Burns Valley Elementary. She is known for her willingness to speak up for what is right and as someone who does not shy away from a challenge.
Colleagues called her “a phenomenal coach who [they] were proud to have as part of the BVS team and family.”
Pullman was not only honored by her school; she also received the Konocti Unified School District Teacher of the Year Award.
Alternative Education: Kim VanHorn
The Alternative Education teacher of the year is Kim VanHorn who teaches English language arts and science at Blue Heron School.
VanHorn is a strong student advocate and a nurturing educator who collaborates with her colleagues and works hard to implement top-quality teaching strategies.
Although this is only her second year as a teacher, VanHorn’s ability to build relationships with students and families has helped students succeed academically and contributed to their social and emotional wellbeing.
East Lake Elementary: Kaytlin Zolensky
At East Lake School, first-grade teacher Kaytlin Zolensky was named teacher of the year by colleagues who described her as an energetic and motivational classroom teacher determined to help every single one of her students learn to read.
Zolensky was the first teacher to bring students back on campus in small groups during the pandemic when allowed to do so by Public Health.
Zolensky’s colleagues also lauded her as a leader who “is always willing to train others on technology, collaborate, or lend an ear to brainstorm solutions.”
Konocti Education Center: Babette Wellock
The KEC teacher of the year is sixth-grade teacher Babette Wellock.
A 15-year veteran of Konocti Unified, Wellock’s colleagues said she leads her students by example as a life-long learner.
“She is always seeking to improve her practice and is not afraid to try new things,” they said.
She also encourages and uplifts colleagues with compliments and fun stories. As in years past, this year Wellock’s dedication to her students stood out in a competitive field.
Lower Lake Elementary: Suzy Tucker
Lower Lake Elementary announced teacher Suzy Tucker as teacher of the year.
Principal Tara Bianchi said Tucker went out of her comfort zone this year to provide the best education possible for her students.
Tucker developed meaningful relationships with her students and their families and collaborated well with her team and other teachers on campus, which was no simple task through video conferencing, mask-wearing, and social distancing.
Lower Lake High School: Tracy Lahr
Associated Student Body Director and long-time Konocti Unified veteran Tracy Lahr was honored by her Lower Lake High School peers as teacher of the year.
During a difficult year, they said she made the school a better place to be.
“No matter the obstacles, she has continued to have a positive attitude about the school and her students. She works effectively with fellow staff members to get them engaged in school spirit, and one of her biggest strengths is her love of students,” said LLHS Principal Victor Uribe.
Uribe noted that Lahr is particularly gifted in establishing and maintaining open lines of communication with all her students, and that her rapport with her Associated Student Body students was instrumental in developing a safe and secure learning environment focused on school spirit this year.
Pomo Elementary: Janelle Schneider
Second-grade teacher Janelle Schneider is Pomo Elementary’s teacher of the year.
Schneider embraced distance learning and helped her colleagues do the same.
Throughout the school year, she created YouTube video clips and Boom Card decks for her students, and then shared them with other teachers who said both they and Schneider’s students “love the online resources she creates and shares.”
The second-grade team credited Schneider’s Boom Cards for their students' mastery of addition with regrouping.
While creating highly effective resources for students and colleagues, Schneider has also been busy working on her master's degree in curriculum and instruction.