Staff Report

Santa Ynez Valley Union High School invites the community to celebrate its 125th Anniversary from 4 to 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 7. 

“This will be a wonderful opportunity to come together as a community to celebrate 125 years of Pirate pride,” new Superintendent Andrew Schwab said.

The event will include a celebration of the past, present, and future in the school’s Pirate Plaza and award-winning Café from 4 to 5:30. Both projects were completed in 2020. 

“The new Pirate Plaza and Café is a project that really showcases how we can embrace tradition while forging ahead with innovation and excellence for the next generation of students,” Schwab added. 

Before the Pirate Plaza there was “The Pit,” in front of the New Gym which was filled in. Improvements were also made to the cafeteria and a new indoor seating area was added. The construction of the courtyard and the indoor seating was not part of Measure K bond funds. It was funded by an influx of developer fees, according to former Superintendent Scott Cory. 

The high school was founded in 1896 and the Pirate mascot was named after Joseph Chapman, “The Good Pirate,” who was instrumental in helping develop California’s early infrastructure, according to the school website. Chapman sailed to Hawaii, where he became an unwilling crew member aboard a ship captained by the Argentine privateer Hippolyte de Bouchard. Bouchard raided the Spanish settlements along the California coast as far north as Monterey. In 1818, Chapman was captured during a raid of the Ortega Ranch in Refugio Canyon. 

The SYHS Pirate mascot was named after Joseph Chapman, “The Good Pirate,” who was instrumental in helping develop California’s early infrastructure, like the fullmill at Old Mission Santa Ines.

Chapman designed and built the fulling mill at Old Mission Santa Ines after we was imprisoned for piracy. His story can be found at https://missionsantaines.org/joseph-chapman-and-pirates. 

Directly following the celebration, guests are invited to attend a Staff vs. Varsity Girls Volleyball game from 5:30 to 6:30 in the New Gym.

The high school was originally located on Pine Street in Santa Ynez, and moved to its current location in 1937. 

Santa Ynez Valley Union High School is located at 2975 Highway 246 in Santa Ynez. For more information, contact Terry Westfall at 805-686-3570.

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By Janene Scully

Noozhawk North County Editor | @JaneneScully

The Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District Board of Education has started plotting a path toward finding a new superintendent, agreeing to first solicit proposals from three headhunter firms to help lead the search.

During a special meeting March 25, board members voted 5-0 to use a consultant to spearhead the effort, appointing a committee of Jan Clevenger and Tory Babcock to solicit proposals for the board to consider. 

But the topic veered away from the agenda item with extensive discussion about whether the high school district needs a separate superintendent and principal, and if it should join with the Santa Ynez Valley’s six elementary districts to form one large agency. 

Superintendent Scott Cory announced last month he had accepted another job, but did not identify the position or district. His last day officially will be June 30. 

Clevenger, the board’s president, suggested seeking three proposals from firms to lead the search before choosing one to lead the effort.

“What do you see as the mission of any search firm we would retain? Is their mission merely to present us with viable candidates, or is it to go to the next step and make all but the final decision on who would be the next superintendent?” Board member John Baeke asked. 

Superintendent search firms typically handle advertising the opening, soliciting candidates, and narrowing the field down for the board’s consideration and eventual interviews. 

“They’re going to bring us whatever we ask for — three or four viable candidates,” Clevenger said.

“We need to share with them and identify what desirable characteristics we’re looking for in a superintendent,” Clevenger added

“I would hope that whatever headhunter firm we ultimately award this contract to will not be married to California applicants, because let’s all face it, on so many metrics, California nationwide compared to the other 50 states ranks 49th or 50th,” Baeke said, calling for getting “new blood into our school district.”

Clevenger said the board can emphasize it wants a nationwide search. 

Board member Stephen Luke questioned why the high school district doesn’t unify with the elementary districts to end the redundant positions such as multiple superintendents. 

He also questioned if the high school district needed a superintendent or could combine the job with the principal position.

“Can we have the discussion about combining? Maybe talk to some other school boards.” Luke said.

Cory and Clevenger said unification discussions have occurred multiple times and never been successful, in part because of a desire to retain local control. 

School funding formulas also can provide an incentive or disincentive for combining some districts due to the effect on revenue, Cory added.

The agenda for Thursday night’s meeting called for selection of a consulting firm to assist the board with the search for a superintendent.

Prolonged discussion on items not on the agenda — it lasted more than 15 minutes — and action are not allowed under the state’s Ralph M. Brown (Open Meetings) Act aimed at transparency and ensuring members of the public can participate in discussions.

At one point, both Cory and Clevenger noted the discussion had veered from the agenda item, but that didn’t deter Luke.

“Before we rush off and hire another superintendent, I’m asking should we even be doing that and why I backed it up with the unification discussion,” Luke said, asking for topics of consolidation and review of district administrators to be placed on the agenda for a future meeting.

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

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Early results are in for the several school board vacancies for the November General Election. These were the results as of press time, and updates will be posted to the Star’s website if there are any differences. 

Bruce Porter

For the Santa Barbara County Board of Education race, early results showed valley residents Bruce Porter and Michelle de Werd taking two seats and Peter MacDougall and Weldon “Joe” Howell taking the other two open seats.

“This is the perfect job for me. The county is the big umbrella for all school districts and we need to do what is best for all those students,” de Werd said. “I want to make sure every dollar goes to help our kids. My job will be to make sure there is accountability and transparency. My focus is on academics and every kids being proficient in reading, writing and math to succeed in the workplace and life.”

She added there will be a good learning curve. 

For the Area No. 3 seat, Porter came out ahead of incumbent Richard Fulton, with 10,785 votes to Fulton’s 8,234.  

For Area No. 4, results reported de Werd was ahead with 46.5% of the vote with 8,372 tallied, followed by incumbent Roberta Heter with 6,031 votes and Jim Richardson at 3,475 votes. 

The Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District had two seats open on the ballot, and the top vote-getters were José Juan Ibarra with 4,419 votes and Stephen Luke with 3,254 votes, according to the County Elections Office. 

Jose Juan Ibarra

“We are the role models and mentors for our youth and we have to conduct ourselves accordingly,” Luke said in a statement to the Star. “Going forward, I promise to do my best to bring about more unity and less division, to be a good listener, and always respectful.  It is time to start rowing in the same direction in order to not only improve our community, but to give our children the best possible education for their future and ours.” 

The BUSD results are also showing the two open positions going to Allison Schwartz with 1,252 votes or 35.42 percent and Christy Nordgren with 1,013 votes or 28.66 percent. 

In the College School District, Erica Jane Flores tallied the most with 1,370 votes and Calisse Courtney with 954 votes.

“I am grateful to wake up to encouraging notes and unwavering support from friends from every chapter of my life and from those I have yet to meet, too,” Flores said on her Facebook page. “Thank you for joining this journey with me-what an unexpected ride it has been.” 

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The Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District has been awarded a $3 million Career Technical Education Facilities Program (CTEFP) grant. The funds will be used to convert existing classroom and kitchen spaces into a state-of-the art culinary teaching and food production facility for students enrolled in the Restaurant Occupations program, equipping them with career-ready job skills.

The grant award is the result of several years of planning and the completion of an extensive grant application process.

Proposition 51, passed by state voters in November 2016, provided for $9 billion in bond sales for the purpose of funding public school modernization and new construction projects statewide. Of that amount, $500 million was designated, via a competitive grant process, for the construction and modernization of Career Technical Education (CTE) facilities as well as the purchasing of equipment. Requiring matching funds, the District’s vision for this grant began in 2016 after Santa Ynez Valley voters passed Measure K, a $14.7 million school facility bond that focused on a substantial overhaul of deteriorating campus infrastructure such as replacement of water, natural gas and sewer pipes, roofs, windows and electrical switch gear. Measure K funds were utilized as the match for the CTEFP grant. The redesign of the “pit” area in the center of campus, the new dining addition and the remodel of the cafeteria were all leveraged to create an event space area that was central to the success of the grant application. 

“This is an unbelievable opportunity. I’d like to thank valley voters for kickstarting the journey for us by approving Measure K,” SYVUHSD Superintendent Scott Cory said. “When this grant became available, I was really excited about the possibility that we could do even more for our students and community than what the voters approved. Any campus facility improvements should result in improved instruction and learning for our students. With that in mind, this project hits a home run.”

Career Technical Education, as defined by the California Department of Education, is “a program of study that involves a multiyear sequence of courses that integrates core academic knowledge with technical and occupational knowledge to provide students with a pathway to postsecondary education and careers.” The program of study that is the focus of this grant centers around restaurant occupations, hospitality, tourism and recreation, including catering and event planning. All of these are a natural match with the Santa Ynez Valley’s economy.  

This grant process involved a tremendous number of community supporters, 21 in all were formally included in the application, including many private businesses, valley junior high school districts, the Santa Barbara County Education Office and Santa Barbara City and Allan Hancock colleges.  

“CTE programs have been a source of pride for our district and a cornerstone of our course offerings for decades,” Cory said. “Funding has come and gone, but it has remained a priority in our budget and through annual grant writing efforts. These funds will help us to usher in the next generation of CTE instruction and training for our students and provide them with the skills they need to successfully enter the workforce with so much more than just entry-level skills.” 

Planning is already underway for a gut and remodel of the existing kitchen, classroom and dining lounge, turning them into a world-class culinary teaching facility. As a nod to signature cuisine of the valley, a professional barbecue is also included in the preliminary design. Plans for the new facility must be completed a year from now and construction will begin soon thereafter.

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After the decision to delay Santa Ynez Valley Union High School reopening to a hybrid model until after the New Year, there was a campaign from students and parents who wrote letters, emailed and even a student-led protest pleading to the Board of Education to reconsider that decision. 

The board decided to call another special meeting on Oct. 12, and reversed course, voting to reopen to a hybrid model as of Nov. 9. The vote was 4-1 with Tory Babcock voting no.

“I never thought I would be protesting for the right to go to school,” said Lilli Pace, a senior at Santa Ynez. 

Lilli, 17, helped organize a protest on Friday, Oct. 7, with more than 50 students, parents and even some teachers supporting going back to school sooner. 

“We wanted the board to hear our voices and we are upset with their choice,” she said. “Last year when we went into this it was supposed to be for two weeks and it kept going. We need to be in school and it has been really rough, a lot of students’ mental health has declined with no will to keep learning.” 

Students gather along Highway 246 in front of the school to protest the delay of on-campus learning at Santa Ynez Valley Union High School.
Photo by Raiza Giorgi

“It’s a mixture of emotions to be online. No one likes being on the computer and it’s difficult and upsetting,” Lilli added. “We want the board to understand and know this isn’t working. No one is really learning. Even though the hybrid model isn’t ideal, at least we will have some connection with our teachers and classmates.” 

Now that the decision to reopen is moved to early November, teachers will have one cohort on campus, one cohort distance learning from home, and another cohort solely learning from home. 

Of the 26 speakers at the special meeting, the majority were in favor of reopening sooner and the board heard the cries from the students saying their mental health was at stake. Those who were opposed reopening were several of the teaching staff. 

“I am currently teaching from home to limit my exposure to people, but I worry I cannot visit my parents after being with students all day,” said science teacher Jen Croll. “So Thanksgiving I will be staying home due to worries I could get them sick.” 

Teacher Jeff Reck said he was worried if one student presented symptoms of COVID-19 it would lead to immediate quarantine for two weeks. 

“Attempting the fragile hybrid while maneuvering through the holidays and finals could prove disastrous for many students,” he wrote in. “This is why some colleges are ending the first semester at Thanksgiving break.”

Teacher Cassie Cathcart said transitioning earlier equates to four in-person meetings for students and keeping the hybrid start would be better for this huge transition.

“The entire nation is grappling with mental health during this pandemic, perhaps we need more advertising on mental wellness center,” Cathcart wrote. “Many of our students suffering mental health, transitioning now is ill-advised.” 

During the discussion, Babcock pointed out that all the other area high schools opted to delay returning to campus until after the New Year, to which board member John Baeke said that Santa Ynez is the lowest case count of the county, and while bigger schools are opting to stay in distance-learning mode, Santa Ynez has the benefit of being a small rural school that can be at the forefront of and take advantage of what the county is allowing. 

Baeke is correct the valley has had the least amount of COVID-19 cases according to Santa Barbara County Public Health. As of Oct. 12, there were 168 confirmed positive cases and 153 of those have fully recovered. 

Superintendent Scott Cory stated the decision-making process is challenging and the input he’s received is divided into two groups of reopening ASAP and the other to wait. 

“Both sides are passionate and present the scientific evidence to support their side to the point of life or death for the board to choose one or the other,” Cory said. 

He presented the hybrid model again as he said there has been some confusion on what the students and parents can expect. Cory stated the first thing to expect is it won’t be “business as usual”. 

The students are divided into three cohorts with one cohort on campus in the class, and the other cohort at home listening to the same instruction so the teacher doesn’t have to repeat and can move forward. The third cohort will be distance learning from home solely. 

The full presentation can be viewed on the district’s website at https://go.boarddocs.com/ca/syvuhsd/Board.nsf/Public. 

The board also discussed the first reading of the new Independent Study (IS) Program which will be led by teacher Victoria Martinez, to meet those with medical needs or personal reasons to go to an independent model. 

Cory stated the decision for an ISP is a good fiscal reason as it will allow students to do independent study and still be allowed to participate in afterschool activities and sports. 

Martinez was hired specifically to create the IS program which will likely get started at the beginning of the next quarter, with a certain number of classes offered. The classes range from English, math, economics, U.S. history, world cultures, American government and others. 

“We are launching this as a first step and get our feet into this world of independent study and ways to receive an alternative education,” Martinez said. 

There will be another reading of the IS program at the Oct. 20 regular board meeting. 

To view the entire meeting visit the district’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6wn7_nG_Z4. 

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As the former Santa Barbara County Superintendent of Schools, it was one of my great honors to work with the four county school board incumbents who are seeking re-election. These individuals have been highly effective on the board because their backgrounds and expertise equipped them to make decisions and take actions with direct positive impacts on students, teachers, families, programs and school districts throughout the county.

The position is nonpartisan. Those who fill it run the gamut of political leanings. What they share is an unfailing dedication to students, and that is why I urge community members to support their re-election. 

Fred Rogers, from “Mr. Rogers Neighborhood,” once said, “We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It’s easy to say, ‘it’s not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem.’ Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes.”

When any of the four incumbents see a need, they respond. They are among my heroes.

Two of the open seats include geographic areas throughout the Santa Ynez Valley and unincorporated areas, as well as Guadalupe, Cuyama, parts of Santa Maria, and Lompoc.

Roberta (Bert) Heter, District 4, is a former teacher, who became principal of Lompoc High School, where her leadership was recognized for excellence district-wide. She was also well respected in state professional organizations, having served on local and state committees, and has received numerous state awards from the Association of California School Administrators. 

Bert is a very involved supporter and volunteer with youth sports in Lompoc and has worked tirelessly in a number of organizations and nonprofits, including the Lompoc Library board. Having served on the SB Foundation Board and the North County Women’s Fund, she has a broad understanding of North County needs. 

Bert’s quiet and modest demeanor belies her truly impressive track record of accomplishments for students, teachers and families. She is highly competent, effective professional, always putting what is best for kids first. She is respected by all who know her in the education, philanthropic, nonprofit and community arenas, which is why she has been such an effective board member.

Dr. Richard Fulton, District 3, is a radiologist and a co-founder of Pueblo Radiology. Dick served as president of the Rochester, Minnesota, school board when he was a physician at the Mayo Clinic. 

On the county school board, Dick has been a driving force in the successful endowment campaign for Computers for Families, designed to put a computer in the homes of children whose families could not afford one. This vital program is now serving families countywide, helping with remote learning during this pandemic. 

He serves on the executive committee of the County School Boards Association and is an active member on the Partners in Education Board of Directors, where he has been a leader in the highly acclaimed Internship Program. Dick approaches his role as a board member with one goal: Find the solution that best serves all students. To him, this is not a political role, but a human role. His longtime service enables him to understand the complexities in our education system, which is critical to advancing the changes needed so that all students can be served. 

In seeking re-election, Bert and Dick join fellow South County board members Dr. Peter MacDougall, who served as the highly respected president of Santa Barbara City College, and Joe Howell, an attorney and Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, whose broad-based community achievements have also made him tremendously effective as a “go-to” county board member.  

Marian Wright Edelman, president of the Children’s Defense Fund, said, “If we don’t stand for children, then we don’t stand for much.” Richard Fulton, Roberta Heter, Peter MacDougall and Joe Howell have always stood tall, passionately advocating and working tirelessly for children and families, undistracted by political agendas or ancillary issues. They do not consider the position a steppingstone, but rather a chance to serve, as reflected in their long and respected careers. 

Their work represents the effective, calm, nonpartisan leadership needed in these divisive times. 

Bill Cirone is the retired Santa Barbara County Superintendent of Schools.

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“The first workout was so hard because we were all out shape, but now that we have been back on the field for a few it’s getting better. I am so happy to see my teammates and get our camaraderie back together,” said Tanner Padfield, 16, linebacker for the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School Pirates varsity football team. 

Tanner and his teammate Mikey Gills, 16, middle linebacker were running drills with their teammates who were broken up into small cohorts in order to maintain social distancing. 

“Exercising has been great for my mental health as we have been stuck at home doing distance learning where we just stare at a screen for hours a day. It’s not fun. I missed my brotherhood,” Mikey said. 

Both players said they were disappointed to learn that they wouldn’t be returning to school until January 4 when the Board of Education voted to delay reopening. They did say that having the ability to come to school to at least get their workouts in and continue to train for their upcoming season was a positive thing and being on the new field was good too. 

Athletics Director Ashley Coelho submitted a 30-page business proposal this summer to the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department to get the athletes back to campus for workouts. High school sports will be doing a modified schedule and a delayed season, the CIF State office announced July 20. Because of COVID-19, CIF officials have taken three seasons of sports and condensed it to two seasons of sports.

“Ashley has done a phenomenal job getting the kids back for workouts and communicating with coaches and parents. She has all the different guidelines from the state, county, CIF and CDC (Centers for Disease Control) recommendations incorporated. All the coaches and athletes are doing this on their own accord because this is way too important to not happen,” said Josh McClurg, head football coach. 

According to the Pirate Conditioning Protocols Coelho outlined, all coaches and athletes do an online symptom checker before being allowed on campus and everyone wears masks when they come on campus and between rotational workouts. The differing sports from football, track, swimming, water polo, volleyball and cheer have their assigned workout times and locations for parking and workouts. 

When athletes are on the field running, in the pool swimming or doing other exercises they do not wear masks. All athletes remain eight feet apart when doing workouts, and six feet apart when rotating. If a coach or athlete present symptoms or test positive, there will be immediate closure of the areas visited by that individual, and communication will be sent out. 

“All exercises are outside and all the workout equipment is sanitized in between groups,” McClurg added. “Being with the kids and doing physical work is good. The kids have been through a lot these past few months, and getting them back just for a workout is worth all of this effort,” McClurg said. 

While the varsity football team were doing drills, the cross country track team were doing running drills around the track and the cheer team was in the new “pit” area practicing routines. 

“It will be interesting as we continue to learn what we can and can’t do as we get closer to games because at the moment we can’t practice stunts and tumbling. We have given the girls some tumbling to be done at home with the help of parents, but we will continue to do strength training so once we are able to our muscles will be ready for it,” said Cheer Captain Lilli Pace. 

The cheer team practices calls and dances that are usually done between plays, as well as running and weight lifting. To build camaraderie between the girls, Coach Robyn Caplan assigned the varsity team to mentor the junior varsity cheerleaders and help them mentally through distance learning. 

To learn more about Pirate Athletics visit www.syvpirates.org. 

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Even if Santa Barbara County stays in the Red Tier until October 13, which would allow all county schools to reopen to a hybrid model without a waiver, the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School Board of Education opted to keep the distance learning model until second semester which is January 4, 2021. The board voted 3 – 2 at their special meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 29, to stay in distance learning with board members John Baeke and Chris Burtness dissenting. 

“This is a very difficult decision for all of us and strong feelings. We are fully responsible for whatever decision we make,” said Eileen Preston, board president. 

“The community and the students will be outraged,” said Baeke. 

If the hybrid model were implemented, teachers would have one cohort on campus, one cohort distance learning from home, and another cohort solely learning from home. 

During public comment before the decision there were 12 speakers, 10 of those who sent in statements to be read, and were mostly in favor of going to a hybrid model. 

“As a nurse at Cottage Hospital I am aware of the need to move forward when opportunity presents itself. It’s time to get children back to school and we appreciated all efforts for distance learning but in no way does it compare to in person learning. The kids are suffering from anxiety and they will adapt to new ways of learning and kids will make whatever modification for some sense of normalcy in their lives,” said Lisa Gildred. 

A student echoed her statement saying they dread the next school day of online classes and have no connection with their teacher or classmates. 

Other students said they preferred the distance learning and it allows them independence to get assignments done on their own and not have to sit in a classroom all day. 

“Going back to school will take us off track of how students adjusted to learning this year. We should stay online as we have figured out time management and routines,” said Presley Melville, SYHS junior. 

“Are we pretending that all of our high school age students are sitting at home on the weekends? Actually, a lot of them are working – and have been working the past six months – in all of the types places that hire teenagers and these places are busy with tourists and locals and people of all ages who are out and about doing stuff. But it’s not safe for them to be in the classroom five days week when we move to the red tier,” wrote Tonya Crandall, parent. 

Two SYHS teachers said that on top of their already difficult task of distance learning, bringing in a hybrid model will be a further detriment to education this year. 

“Students will only see their teacher one day and will not feel benefit of face to face instruction. This will exacerbate learning gaps and feelings of isolation. I worry about student mental health feeling more ignored and lack normal social interactions because of strict social distancing guidelines,” said Cassie Cathcart, English teacher. 

Teacher Heather Clemente said the district is unprepared to do a hybrid model as she implied there haven’t been clear guidelines and protocols set. 

“Teaching simultaneously in person and online will make impossible to provide an effective education, please delay until second semester,” Clemente said. 

When the discussion was brought back to the board Burtness said that no matter when the hybrid model is implemented it will take time to get through the “clunks”, and the sooner the teachers start figuring out those issues the better. 

“Delaying to second semester won’t get rid of issues. We are a public school, funded by the community, and our duty is to get the kids back to the classroom as soon as possible,” Burtness said. 

Superintendent Scott Cory said that the last survey sent to to parents and students indicated 80 percent of them wanted to come back to campus. 

“We were planning and getting ready for the hybrid instruction in late June and July when three weeks before school was to start, we were told it was completely distance learning so we had to switch gears and get that model up and running. There are so many conversations that were put on hold, such as negotiations with the teachers union down to figuring out the cleaning schedule. We need to reboot all those conversations and get a solid plan,” said Cory the day after the meeting. 

Cory added it takes time to implement all these various aspects of the high school day, from minute details such as figuring out how kids will move about on campus from various entrances and exits to maintain social distancing. 

“The county gave us two weeks to completely switch gears again. This isn’t like elementary school where you can keep students in the same cohort together which is easier to trace if one of the students or teachers shows symptoms. Students at the high school take a variety of classes with different teachers and other grade levels so tracing becomes more difficult. I have no doubt we can figure this out, but it will take time,” Cory said. 

Burtness said she wanted the school to open as quickly as possible put forward a motion to open right after October 13, as long as all the public health guidelines are being met and Baeke seconded. The board discussed what the scenario would look like if they opened just after October 13 and board members Jan Clevenger and Tory Babcock said they didn’t think there was enough time for teachers to plan for it, to which Burtness suggested November 9. However her amended motion failed because Baeke did not second the amendment and none of the other board members did either. Clevenger and Babcock then said they were concerned about not having a solid plan for how teachers are supposed to teach three cohorts at the same time. 

“I am very worried about making sure education is strong in classroom, especially if teachers go out sick, subs will have to juggle three cohorts which they aren’t trained for. If we wait until this whole semester done and then we can move forward clean into next semester. I agree with what you say Chris (Burtness) in getting back to class, but I vote we reopen second semester,” Babcock said. 

Cory did clarify the board can change their mind and open sooner by either calling another special meeting or putting it on a future agenda and voting again. 

To watch the entire meeting visit the district’s YouTube channel. 

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High school sports will be doing a modified schedule and a delayed opening, the CIF State office announced July 20. Because of COVID-19, CIF officials have taken three seasons of sports and condensed it to two seasons of sports. Fall teams will start practicing in December and spring teams will start practicing in March.

“First I am happy we have dates to work with and a step in the right direction of getting sports to happen,” said Ashley Coelho, athletics director for Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District. “The county and state need to allow for it to happen. Official start and end dates are a hopeful sign, but scheduling will be a challenge for sure.” 

This is Coelho’s second year as athletic director for the district and said she was ready for a challenge, and this is definitely a challenge. 

Of the two schedules the spring season is looking more challenging to compile, as there are many kids who do two or more winter/spring sports. 

“Sharing gyms for volleyball or basketball won’t be a big issue, but I think water polo and swimming will,” Coelho said. “We will have to rotate and split everyone as evenly as possible, as I am already getting calls from parents whose kids do multiple sports.” 

The other challenge is coaching schedules as many coach two or three sports. 

“We will make the best of it, no perfect solution but to get through this year and get back to three seasons next year,” she added. 

The COVID situation put a damper on the end of last winter season and completely canceled spring. Coelho said her coaching staff has stepped up in ways she never dreamed they would, and is so proud of all her staff and players that are being good sports. 

“My coaches have been zooming with their athletes and checking on them,” she said. “They have also been giving them workouts at home and keeping track of mental health which is just as important right now.” 

Coelho said she had just completed a 30-page business proposal and submitted it to the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department so they could operate as a “gym” and then the second round of shutdowns happened. 

“When we are given the green light again we are ready to go and will be as productive and creative as possible so these kids can get in a great workout and get back to a sense of unity and bonding which they desperately need,” Coelho said. 

The school gym has one-use towels, sanitation wipes for all equipment, hand sanitizers and a fogging machine to use after every day.

“If kids want to work out at home, I have equipment they can take with them and I will make sure they can get a good sweat,” Coelho said. 

In the state’s calendar, the fall season will be comprised of boys/girls cross country; field hockey; 11-man football; 8-man football; gymnastics; traditional competitive cheer; boys/girls volleyball; boys/girls water polo. 

For spring sports it will be badminton; baseball; boys/girls basketball; competitive cheer; boys/girls golf; boys/girls lacrosse; boys/girls soccer; softball; boys/girls swimming and diving; boys/girls tennis; boys/girls track and field and boys/girls wrestling. 

“We are continuously monitoring the directives and guidelines released from the Governor’s office, the California Department of Education, the California Department of Public Health and local county health departments and agencies as these are followed by out member schools/districts with student health and safety at the forefront,” said CIF officials in their press release. 

This calendar change also has temporarily suspended Bylaws 600-605 (Outside Competition) in all sports for the 2020-21 school year. To see the bylaws visit www.cifstate.org/governance/constitution/index. 

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The Santa Ynez Valley Union High School Board of Education decided to move forward with preparing with splitting the students into two groups, alternating days on campus two days a week in order to comply with social distancing guidelines. 

“Our hope is that we will be at Stage 4 with all kids on campus before August, but we have to have a plan in case that cannot happen,” Superintendent Scott Cory said. 

In order for the campus to even reopen, the board had to come up with a plan that allowed for social distancing. 

The plan in the board packet proposed a schedule outline where students would be divided into groups and then given a day for 100-minute block classes, but were staggered so one group would only be on campus once in eight days. 

Cory said when newly hired Principal Michele Borgess looked at it, she offered an alternative simplified plan, and Cory said the faculty association was looking it over as well. Borgess’ proposed plan is to have staff development on Mondays and then split the students into two groups and alternate two days a week on campus. 

Board member Dr. John Baeke said he is opposed limiting students to two days a week and said the kids are responsible enough to make good decisions about keeping socially distanced in the hallways.

“We are not making use of three of the greatest assets our district owns, the new gymnasium, old gymnasium and Little Theater,” Baeke said. “We could easily with our grant monies be purchasing temporary, soundproof walls and place them strategically in the gymnasiums, and have large class simultaneously taught with portable chalkboards or dry erase boards. I doubt our drama is utilizing the theater every hour of every day, and there an opportunity to classes meet there five days a week.”

The high school’s nurse, Miranda Burford, said she wasn’t in favor of having all kids on campus because it isn’t the issue of the kids in the classroom, it’s the transfer between classes that is most concerning. 

“When everyone is on campus having 900 students in the hallway can easily spread,” she said. “Every student has to have their temperature checked and screened before coming onto campus.” 

Burford added one asymptomatic can infect a large amount of people in a day as they pass each other back and forth, and half the campus could be infected and infect more after the students go home to family members. 

“One of the big things I want to make aware of is our numbers are going up,” she said. 

Santa Barbara County Public Health has seen an increase in positivity numbers as its testing is now more widely available. As of June 24, there have been 2,590 positive cases with 2,057 fully recovered. Additionally, there have been 27 deaths associated with COVID-19. In the Santa Ynez Valley, there have been 17 positive cases, with 12 fully recovered. 

Cory said there are more issues than just the students walking between classes to take into account, such as transportation and staff concerns. 

He also added that he was just made aware of a sudden reversal by the California Department of Public Health, which has removed language from its guidance that was widely interpreted as exempting schools from a mandate requiring the use of masks. As a result of this change, the new consensus is that students, with some limited exceptions, and staff must wear masks, or face shields, while in school facilities.

“We know this isn’t ideal, and our goal is to have kids on campus all days because as I’ve said before the economy isn’t fully open until schools are fully open. We have to have some sort of plan,” Cory said. 

The board directed Cory to pursue one of the two options with the faculty association and there would have to be a special meeting called in July to get board approval. There was also a new position created to help with students that are not able or willing to come back due to COVID-19. The Teacher on Special Assignment position will create, develop, implement and oversee an Independent Study program for the district in order to retain students that would not attend school otherwise due to health and safety concerns. 

“Typically, we take a year to create the program, but we don’t have the luxury of that in this case,” Cory said. “If we don’t offer something for Independent Study, we risk losing those students to other options.” 

There are also several new teachers that are being hired, including two social studies teachers, an automotive shop teacher, a guidance counselor, a health science teacher and a health and wellness coordinator. 

“We got some top-notch people and will have some great things happening in the classrooms as a result of this,” Cory said. 

The budget for the school remains fluid as well because of unknowns like exact property tax payments, which the school is being conservative in estimating at a 2.5 percent increase, but are projecting closer to 4 percent. The budget also took into account a reduction in state and federal funding of 10 percent per Gov. Gavin Newsome’s most recent budget proposal, said Business Office Manager Elysia Lewis. 

“Despite that, we are looking as the budget showing that the district is able to meet its minimum state required reserve levels for all three years and is therefore positively certified,” Lewis explained. 

The 2020-21 budget shows revenues and other financing sources at $13.22 million and expenditures at $13.53 million, which is a deficit of $312,560, but projecting for two years out shows a surplus of $40,347 in 2021-22, and $115,059 in 2022-23, conservatively. 

“These figures are subject to change given that even though we are in a tough economic position, the real estate sector is still healthy and strong which is a good place to be in,” Cory said. 

The full meeting can be viewed online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8tjXCItZLw and the packet can be viewed at https://go.boarddocs.com/ca/syvuhsd/Board.nsf/Public. 

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