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The voters in Buellton decided to give incumbent Mayor Holly Sierra another term, according to the unofficial results from the November General Election. 

Sierra, who retired from the U.S. Postal Service as the Buellton postmaster, faced two challengers, Councilman Ed Andrisek and Isaac Oltmans, a brand manager, in the race for a two-year term wielding the gavel. Sierra pulled a big lead, tallying 1,256 votes with Andrisek at 636 votes and Oltmans at 206 votes, according to Santa Barbara County Elections. This will also be Sierra’s last term as Buellton has term limits. 

“I am so grateful to be given a final two years to work for residents of Buellton,” Sierra said to the Star. “We DO have a lot to accomplish. Caltrans and SBCAG are getting together with the city to present their ideas for Highway 246 safety in the next month or two. Creekside Village was approved for Avenue of Flags, and the Median 2 is almost done. Now we need to bring events like farmer’s market and car shows to the community. It’s a big work in progress.”

She added the city also has to set up districts after the census results come out. 

“We will have District elections starting in 2022 and I want to help set it up,” Sierra said. “With the Land Use Circulation Element (LUCE) process starting we are finding that residents are most concerned with their quality of life. That means walking trails, upgraded parks and access to move around more (bikes, walking). There are so many wonderful things going on in our town, and I’m so grateful to be a part of it for a final two years.” 

For City Council, two seats were open and incumbent John Sanchez filled one seat with 1,046 votes and newcomer Elysia Lewis was right behind him with 932 votes. Incumbent Art Mercado will sit this term out. Challenger Joseph Carter got 440 votes. Lewis is a public finance manager and is currently on the Buellton Union School District Board but her term expires just as she will take office for the Buellton council. 

“I am humbled and honored people are putting confidence and trust in me,” Lewis said. “I look forward to orienting myself to council roles and hearing the needs of the residents of where they want us to take the city in the next four years.” 

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Photo by Mercedes Diaz

The teachers and staff of Buellton Union School District paraded through the various neighborhoods on Monday, April 13, to honk and wave at their students they miss during the COVID-19 situation. (See our slideshow below)

“It was heart-warming to see all of the families showing support. I was moved by the homemade signs saying that they missed their teachers too. I am grateful to work in such a caring community,” said Andrea Babcock, first grade teacher. 

Governor Newsom announced April 1, his expectation that all school districts and charter school classrooms in California will continue with distance learning and other essential supports through the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year. Local school officials and educators are trying to embrace this new idea of distance learning in this unprecedented situation. 

“Teachers inspire the smallest hearts to grow big enough to change the world, and these teachers did just that! Thank you so much for the drive by. That meant so much to all of us! We miss you all,” said parent Jenn Matsukas.

Photo by Mercedes Diaz

The parade was organized by teacher Heather McPherson and roughly 35 vehicles drove around Buellton, assisted by local law enforcement officers.  

“My children were so happy to see their wonderful teachers pass by today! I got very emotional, though, grieving the sweet moments they’re missing out on in these last few months of Kindergarten and first grade,” added parent Allison Firey. 

Districts throughout Santa Barbara County are also continuing to provide meals for youth while maintaining social distancing. Santa Barbara County’s schools are committed to ensuring students have the resources and services they need to continue their learning and engagement despite the closure of our school facilities. 

The Santa Barbara County Education Office (SBCEO) will continue to work with the California Department of Education and school partners on important topics including grades, credits, and graduation requirements.  Specific questions should be directed to the respective school districts.

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This is the second time Dr. Haggard has used Parent Square for this purpose, sending out information and “statistics” to a captive audience. As an educator and community member, I have great concerns regarding the superintendent’s use in this manner when it should be solely for educational and safety issues pertaining to students. 

While the district certainly has a right to present its position on negotiations, Superintendent Haggard’s use of Parent Square uses a system dedicated to communications with parents for the education and safety of their children; it is not for the political gain and one-sided debate presented by Superintendent Haggard for negotiations or for his advocacy of his 23 percent raise, which he posted on last spring via Parent Square as well. 

Parents did not provide their emails and cell numbers to receive information on anything other than information directly related to their children, and using the system in any other manner is abusing its purpose. 

After reading the most recent post on Parent Square, which I received at work, I sent the School Board questions, all of which have gone unanswered. Instead I received a weakly worded letter from the district’s lawyer indicating I could not send an email asking such questions during the workday. Given teachers received the Parent Square post during school hours, and a subsequent work email, this is perplexing, a gigantic waste of money, and an unsuccessful attempt to intimidate. Regardless, the same questions remain. 

What is the board’s reasoning for allowing Superintendent Haggard to post details about negotiations on Parent Square? Does the School Board pre-approve the posts regarding negotiations? How does the board justify communication of this nature when they shut down communication from the public and the Buellton Education Association at a board meeting last spring? 

While negotiations for the educators of Buellton continue to be of interest to the public, Parent Square is not the proper forum for the district to post its position. Certainly the district could use its website or, like the Buellton Education Association has done, use other social media outlets such as Facebook. 

As an educator, I greatly appreciate parent and community support for causes in which I believe. Naturally a fair contract and fair compensation and benefits for those of us in the field of education are issues I feel have great importance. Interested community members can find information on social media regarding these causes and more. But teachers and support staff are not allowed to engage in any politically motivated action during work hours, and rightly so. 

It was and continues to be inappropriate for Superintendent Haggard to use Parent Square in this manner. The focus of the school-to-parent communication on Parent Square should be on the students, their education, and their safety — period. 

Lisa Restivo

Buellton Union School District teacher

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Students at Buellton’s Jonata Middle School have 48 new Google Chromebooks to use in their schoolwork thanks to a recent delivery from the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Foundation.

The donation, valued at more than $13,000, was the fulfillment of a grant request made by the school, which submitted an application through the tribe’s Technology in Schools Program for the 2018-2019 school year.

Principal Hans Rheinschild said he made the request as part of Jonata Middle School’s push to put a laptop in the hands of all 180 students.

“The ultimate goal of our school is to get us to a 1-to-1 ratio of students to devices,” Rheinschild said. “We’re currently at 2-to-1, so getting this donation brings us a lot closer to 1-to-1. The key was also to get Chromebooks because we like the Google platform for education. Getting additional devices is always great, but getting Chromebooks, specifically, is going to help us access a lot of new educational tools.”

The tribe’s Technology in Schools Program allows school administrators and faculty to apply for technology grants to fund specific projects. With schools struggling to keep their equipment and software up to date, finding additional resources to pay for new technology can be difficult for local schools.

“This donation means our students get to work on the newest and best equipment, so they’re going to be on the cutting edge of what’s out there,” Rheinschild said. “It definitely revitalizes us.”

Marie Chavis, a seventh- and eighth-grade science teacher and lead tech at Jonata Middle School, said a donation of 48 Chromebooks will have a positive impact on students who wouldn’t normally have access to computer equipment.

“Sometimes, students have to share laptops in the classroom, but the bigger issue is the kids that don’t have technology at home, because so much of the new curriculum is tech-driven,” she said. “Being able to reach our 1-to-1 goal will ensure they have the access they need.”

Other Technology in Schools Program grant recipients for the 2018-2019 school year are Clarence Ruth and Buena Vista elementary schools in Lompoc and the Carpinteria Unified School District.

The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians has donated more than $25 million to hundreds of groups, organizations and schools in the community and across the nation.

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On a 3-2 vote, over the heated objections of some parents and staff members, the Buellton Union School Board has approved a 20 percent raise for Superintendent Randal Haggard as the district prepares to merge with the Vista del Mar School District.

At a raucous meeting May 8, some audience members raised concerns about granting the raise before a shared-services agreement with the Vista district is even final. One parent refers to Haggard as “a villain” for taking the increase while teachers and other staff members had to endure cuts as a result of last year’s fiscal crisis.

“Dr. Haggard has clearly shown staff, students, board and community members his interests lie solely with improving his financial situation at the expense of students and staff,” said Leanna Watson. “Typically, villains have slightly more hubris and are convinced they will succeed. However, Dr. Haggard has gone so far as to propose his own golden parachute… a lush package when when he is terminated, as he knows this board, and the good people of Buellton have seen through him and will not tolerate his outrageous behavior.”

Haggard’s current salary is about $146,000; his new three-year contract increases that to $175,000 per year. He also receives full medical benefits and 24 vacation days per year.

Haggard will also be eligible for other raises that are offered to certificated (non-teaching) staff, which are commonly referred to as ‘me too’ increases. If he is terminated before the agreement is up, he will be paid an amount equal to his salary for 12 months, or the remainder of the agreement if it’s less than 12 months.

Haggard’s increase in salary will begin next year, in the 2019-20 school year, when the tiny Vista district on the Gaviota Coast will begin sending its middle-school students to Buellton under a three-year shared-services agreement.

Haggard said the additional money he will receive will come from the Vista district and from changes to the special-education consortium funding model, and that through the agreement the Buellton district will see enough savings to support an additional shared assistant principal.

At the meeting one of the Buellton school aides made a tearful plea to bring back the two aide positions that were lost this year because she is overwhelmed having to watch 150 students at a time without any backup.

Wendy Campbell asked how Haggard’s raise compared to other superintendents in the valley, specifically that of Solvang’s Superintendent Dr. Steve Seaford.  She noted that Haggard had spent less time than Seaford as an assistant superintendent and didn’t partake in the ‘me too’ raises.

“Obviously there is money, so it should go back to the students and the services we lost,” Wendy Berry said.

“I am merely here to ask this one question: ‘Why do administration salaries take priority over our kids’ services and school quality?” said parent Adriana Palacios.

“Your opinions don’t go on deaf ears, but I want to publicly disagree with the vilification and the personal attack against Dr. Haggard, who is doing his job and working hard to keep the district running. There are ways to disagree civilly,” board member Elysia Lewis said.

The vote to increase Haggard’s salary was 3-2, with Lewis and board member Jessie Skidmore dissenting.

For Buellton, the addition of the Vista middle-schoolers could mean more revenue, including $90,000 from increased enrollment as well as payments by the Gaviota district for 40 percent of an assistant principal position and $10,000 for fiscal oversight.

Vista has 49 students, including 17 sixth- and seventh-graders. The lone eighth-grader has already transferred to Jonata Middle School in the Buellton district.

Haggard has stated that previously that the Buellton district lost about $400,000 from its annual budget after an unusually large eighth-grade class graduated in June 2018.

“The misconception is that the money is being taken away from teachers, but it isn’t. The funding model we have now is decreasing in revenue and isn’t sustainable. The cuts that happened last year were awful and the decisions were hard, but with those cuts we saved teaching positions,” Haggard said.

In an earlier analysis of the Buellton district, Assistant Superintendent Bill Ridgeway at the Santa Barbara County Education Office said that without large budget reductions in both 2018-19 and 2019-20, the district would become fiscally insolvent in 2019-20 and would then be facing an entirely new set of problems, including the partial loss of local control.

“Hopefully with the Buellton/Vista merger being worked out currently, the revenue will be able to bring back some of the positions we lost,” Haggard added.

Noozhawk’s Janene Scully contributed to this story. She can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. 

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Four employees of the Ballard, Buellton and Solvang school districts are among the five people who have been chosen as the 2019 Santa Barbara County Classified School Employees of the Year.

The honors for non-teaching employees are coordinated by the Santa Barbara County Education Office and the Santa Barbara County Board of Education.

 “Classified employees are integral to helping our students, schools, and communities succeed,” said Santa Barbara County Superintendent of Schools Susan Salcido. “They fulfill a wide range of roles that are essential to our schools, contributing to the education of children. We are grateful for their dedication and professionalism.”

Five people were selected, one in each of five award categories. Their nominations have been forwarded for consideration as California Classified School Employees of the Year, which will be announced this month.

The winners are:

Kim Bramsen, Ballard School District: Maintenance, Operations, and Facilities.

Bramsen is a second-generation caretaker of the little red schoolhouse of the Ballard School District and a well-respected figure at the school, whose grounds and building he maintains diligently. He is also treasured by the school community for the relationships he builds with students.

Shannon Filburn, Lompoc Unified School District: Support Services and Security.

Filburn went from student press operator in the regional occupation program (ROP) to career employee in the Printing Department with the Lompoc Unified School District. She is known for her unwavering kindness, her willingness to help out with whatever needs to be done, and her commitment to the students.

Richard “Mr. Rick” Nichols, Solvang School District, Transportation.

Mr. Rick is a bus driver who not only transports students safely to school and back and makes their field trips memorable, but also shares his knowledge of science and history with students. He can often be found volunteering in the classroom.

Kathy Robb, Buellton Union School District: Para-Educator and Instructional Assistance.

Robb is an instructional assistant at Oak Valley Elementary School whose day starts early with the before-school Homework Club program. She is known as the “can do” person on campus, providing support wherever needed.

Sandra Tomasini, Solvang School District: Office and Technical Services.

Tomasini is a payroll and accounting technician whose work not only earns excellent audit results but also leads to grant funding and beautification projects for the district. She is known as a cheerleader for both the school and the community.

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Noozhawk North County Editor

Loss of oil revenue and declining enrollment have put the future of the Vista del Mar Union School District in Gaviota in doubt and have prompted a step toward possibly merging with its Buellton counterpart.

In late March, board members for both districts held a joint meeting to talk about the likely closure of Vista del Mar due to fiscal insolvency and subsequent consolidation with the Buellton Union School District.

In April, the Buellton board approved a three-year shared services agreement that could mark a step toward the end of the one-school Gaviota district that was established in 1926.

“It’s a really exciting opportunity, I think, for both districts to collaborate,” Buellton Superintendent Randal Haggard said.

Under the three-year agreement, the sixth- through eighth-graders from the district’s lone campus, Vista De Las Cruces School at 9467 San Julian Road, will attend classes at Jonata Middle School in Buellton for the 2019-2020 school year.

The Vista middle-school students will benefit from being part of a broader program at Jonata, Haggard said.

The state Department of Education recently recognized Jonata as a 2019 California Distinguished School for outstanding education programs and practices, the only school in Santa Barbara County on this year’s list.

“What we’re trying to do is the best thing for the kids that is fiscally responsible for the district,” said Vista’s interim Superintendent/Principal Bill Banning, who led the Goleta Union School District for five years before retiring in 2017.

Vista has 49 students, including 17 sixth- and seventh-graders. The lone eighth-grader has already transferred to Jonata Middle School.

Vista’s transitional kindergarten through fifth-grade students, expected to total fewer than 30 in the next school year, will continue at the Gaviota campus, but a number of factors have conspired to put the school’s future in doubt.

One big hit occurred in 2015 when the Plains All-American Pipeline rupture led to the suspension of offshore oil production. Without the tax revenue from oil production, a significant portion of the district’s income evaporated immediately.

Around the same time, the state changed the funding for its “District of Choice” programs that had helped boost revenue and enrollment at Vista.

“It was a kind of a double blow around 2015, 2016 that caused their revenues to decline significantly,” Banning said.

Even before that, Vista had to dip into its reserve funds, he said, adding it became clear the district was on an unsustainable path and needed to act.

“It just doesn’t seem that there’s an answer that would keep the district solvent,” Banning said.

For Buellton, the addition of the middle-schoolers could mean more revenue, including $90,000 from increased enrollment as well as payments by the Gaviota district for 40 percent of an assistant principal position and $10,000 for fiscal oversight.

In May, both boards may consider sharing the Buellton superintendent, who would spend most of the week in Buellton and some time at the Gaviota campus.

The actions could lead to what the state Department of Education calls “lapsation,” ending the Vista district, Banning said.

Once the state approves Vista’s lapsation, the Santa Barbara County Education Office Committee on School District Organization would weigh in on the proposal for the Gaviota district’s end.

“By having a superintendent shared with Buellton and an administrator who’s employed by Buellton, it really feels to us like it’s sort of a first step,” Banning explained.

“The Vista school district will still exist next year, but it’s almost a bit of an interim transition to have everybody get to know each other a little bit better before the final transition occurs as early as July 1, 2020.”

In addition to figuring out financial matters, some questions from the Vista community focus on the future of the school buildings under Buellton’s administration and those students still enrolled in classes there, he said.

The fact that both Vista and Buellton offer transitional kindergarten through eighth-grade classes help make them suitable candidates for the consolidation consideration, both Banning and Haggard said.

Vista and Buellton are among six elementary districts — the others are Ballard, College, Los Olivos and Solvang — that feed students to the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District.

This won’t be the first consolidation of school districts in Santa Barbara County.

In 2011, Orcutt Union School District absorbed the Los Alamos district, also a one-school district that was experiencing financial troubles and declining enrollment.

Los Alamos students continue to attend Olga Reed Elementary School, but the campus also has become home to Orcutt Academy Charter School.

Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com.

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After years of declining enrollment, the tiny Vista de las Cruces School District in Gaviota faces a funding crisis and has asked Buellton Union School District for help, which could include absorbing the Vista district eventually.

Parents and other community members had opportunities to speak with interim Superintendent-Principal William Banning about updates of talks between the districts for the 2019-2020 school year at a town hall meeting on March 6. 

The school’s tax revenue plunged when a leaking transmission pipeline halted South Coast oil production in May 2015. The school relied for more than half its budget of roughly $1.2 million on revenues generated by the companies that were affected by the spill, according to the district.

The K-8 school just north of the Gaviota Tunnel is funded by local property tax revenue, also known as “basic aid.”

Since the oil spill, the one-school Vista del Mar district has eliminated most of its extracurricular activities, its preschool program and several bus services while combining a few grade levels and eliminating several teaching and classified positions. There are now only four teachers to serve nine grade levels. 

Compounding the problem is a drop in enrollment since the state Legislature changed “district of choice” rules. More than a third of Vista students lived outside the district; enrollment has dropped from 130 students to fewer than 80, and the number continues to decline.

“The district is spending a good portion of the budget out of reserves, of which there is about $1.5 million left. As we have to plan three years out, there isn’t enough reserves to cover the third year,” Bannon said. 

The solution he presented to the Vista school board is to contract with Buellton to take grades 6 through 8 and keep younger students at Vista. The four remaining teachers would continue to share classes, Bannon added.

Bannon said that, looking beyond the next two years, he hopes that Vista will do a ‘lapsation’ with Buellton and continue to run an elementary school at Vista. 

Lapsation is an action to dissolve a school district, with its entire territory annexed to one or more adjoining school districts, according to California Department of Education. 

Bannon said both districts would both have to vote to “lapse” and take that agreement to the Santa Barbara County Office of Education’s Committee on School District Organization to be approved. The process could take up to a year to complete, and the schools would potentially start the process early in 2020. 

In the meantime the shared services agreement would handle the middle schoolers and Vista would tighten its budget as much as possible. 

Bannon also noted that after lapsation is complete, the Buellton district could decide that the Vista campus is not viable and have all students attend school in Buellton. 

“I don’t believe we can demand that this school stays open, but we can encourage them to consider that option,” Bannon said. 

Some parents asked whether the school would have enough revenue if the county Board of Supervisors voted to start trucking oil from local wells, as proposed by Exxon Mobil in a recent application.

“Even when Vista was at its best around 2012 with the most oil and property tax revenue, they were still deficit spending. Unfortunately, this is the reality and we have to look for other solutions,” Bannon said. 

Bannon said both the school boards have to agree on a joint session date to get the shared services agreement started, and he believes that joint meeting will take place at the end of March. Check www.santaynezvalleystar.com for updates.

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Jonata Middle School has been recognized as one of 162 California Distinguished Schools for 2019, the only secondary school in Santa Barbara County to be recognized this year. 

Buellton Union School District has also been named a California Exemplary District for 2019. Nominated by Santa Barbara County Education Office, it is one of only 18 districts to receive this recognition in the state. 

“I want to emphasize the hard work of students and staff, as well as the commitment from our community in support of the district’s schools,” said Buellton Union Superintendent Randall Haggard. “Jonata Middle School is being recognized as a California Distinguished School because it represents an excellent example of academic rigor and supportive relationships. The recognition of Buellton Union School District as a California Exemplary District honors every employee, student and family in the district for a commitment to creating a caring community of excellence.”

Sponsored by the California Department of Education and California Casualty, the program recognizes outstanding education programs and practices. Schools are honored for achieving exceptional student performance for two consecutive school years or closing the achievement gap between two school years.

The Distinguished Schools program was on a three-year pause while California transitioned to its new assessment and accountability system. From 2015 to 2017, California recognized schools that demonstrated exemplary achievements with the California Gold Ribbon Schools Program. 

The Distinguished Schools program returned last year. It recognizes elementary, middle schools and high schools in alternate years and allows eligible schools to apply once every two years.

Schools that applied were eligible based on their performance and progress on test scores, suspension rates, and graduation rates.

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Yes, our students should have a music program.

Yes, small classes are important.

Yes, science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) instruction need extra supports.

Yes, it is vital we provide interventions to students who need it.

Yes, the proposed measure would assess each parcel in the Buellton Union School District at $99 per year for eight years.

Yes, Measure A provides for an exemption for a parcel owned and occupied by a person 65 or more years of age or with a disability.

Yes, all parcel tax funds must be spent locally and cannot be taken by the state.

Yes, the spending will be annually audited by an independent citizen’s oversight committee.

Yes, our schools are central to the family-friendly community of Buellton.

And yes, Measure A is crucial to maintaining this level of excellence.

Please vote yes on Measure A!

Debbie Parisotto Goldsmith

Union president, Buellton Education Association

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