HomeMy WebLinkAbout4 Community School Lease of Land Agenda Item #
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-U E D E R
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Public Utility District
Memorandum
To: Board of Dirctors
From: Peter Holzmeister
Date: May 10, 2002
Subject: Lease of land for Community School
The Board asked that the matter of leasing land on Glen Road to accommodate the
Truckee Community School be placed on this agenda. I received a telephone call from
John Britto of the Truckee Tahoe Unified School District withdrawing their request to
lease that land. There is also an article in the May 9, 2002 Sierra Sun quoting John as
having withdrawn the request to lease the land. A copy of that article is attached for
your review.
RECOMMENDATION: I recommend that the Board accept the School District request to
withdraw their interest in leasing land from this District for the Community School.
,J ■ Community School seeking a place to call home
By Katherine Morris director of Alternative Educa- out on the streets. erty for a semester.
Siena Sun tion for the Placer County Not in My Neighborhood The TDPUD's one require-
Department of Education, Just last week,it appeared as ment in regards to the lease was
When classes resume this which funds and operates the though the Community School that the school district receive
fall, one group of local students school. had found a viable solution approval for the project from
might find themselves with no According to Berry,a combi- when the Truckee Donner Pub- the residents in the surrounding
a place togo. nation of increasing rents, lic Utility District offered to Meadow Lake Park neighbor-
The Community School, decreasing county funds and a lease a plot of land on Glen hood.
which offers an alternative for lack of space to serve the num- Road to the Tahoe-Truckee On April 11, the district sent
middle school and high school ber of students necessary for the Unified School District, who in out a letter detailing the project
students who have been program to be financially sol- turn, would provide a portable and also announcing a meeting
expelled from schools or placed vent has forced the school to classroom for the school. to be held on April 30 where the
on probation in Placer, Nevada look for another, more afford- While the Community public could voice concerns.
:5 and El Dorado counties, is in able school site. School is run independently of According to Britto, about
grave danger of losing its cur- "We've simply outgrown the the TTUSD, the school serves 20 concerned residents were in
rent home on Palisades Drive space that we have and we need students from the district "who attendance at that meeting.
off Highway 267. to serve more students to gener- have encounteai difficulties in "Everyone seemed to agree
Since the school's'inception ate enough money to keep the the normal's6KmI program," on the value of the school; but
in 1996,it has served more than program going," Bevy said. "If wrote Superintendent Pat reaction to the project, itself,
100 students, helping many of we can't find something soon,it Gemma in a letter to residents ranged from one of anger to
them continue their education may mean that we have to close living near the proposed school concern,"Britto said.
during difficult times and get our doors." site. At the meeting, residents
back on their feet again. Closing those doors would One positive about the site is heard an overview of the.school,
"The problem is that the mean students would have to that it does not lie on any as well as personal testimonies,
state simply doesn't provide commute to the next closest school property. A 1996 state from three current students.
enough money for programs school in Auburn - an unreal- law barred students who were See COMMUNITY,on page 11A
like ours," said Joan Berry, istic scenario—or end up back expelled from any school prop P g
COMMUNITY, mMike
mu DePew, teacher for the
Community School,said he was
trying to put himself in the resi-
from page 1 A dents'shoes that night.
"I completely respect and Take It to the PUD
students. recognize the concerns of these Feeling as though they'd had
Among the major concerns residents, and, from the way little success at the school dis-
voiced by residents included that they reacted, it's very clear trict meeting, residents decided
issues of safety,burglary,traffic that this wasn't the right loca- to take their concerns to the
and the decrease in property tion for us," DePew said. "If TDPUD board meeting the fol-
values that having such a school people wanted to put something lowing evening.
in their neighborhood could in my backyard that I didn't Every seat in the audience
bring. likea c say I wouldn't was filled with residents clam-
Neither side left the meeting ha led' a similar way." oring to address the board.
feeling very positive about what DePew' saiYhe has no trust "The school will bring traffic
had transpired. issues with his students,though. to the area, plus there's the
One student who spoke,who "My own children have potential impacts of having 12
will remain anonymous for grown up around these students; to 19 delinquents in the area,"
legal purposes, said the audi- they've babysat for me, said Russell Rosario, another
ence made him feel like a con- changed my kids' diapers," he
vier. said.
"For a lot of the meeting, I He said it was difficult to sit
felt like I was being attacked," there knowing his students were
he said. "People were saying having to listen to some harsh
that they'd have to start locking criticism.
their doors because they'd "A few times I looked over
worry about their valuables at them as if to say, `I am so
with us around. It was nice that sorry,Vys,'"he said.
a few people came up to us at
the end and said positive things,
though.'
"We felt that there were While DePew said it would
solutions to the neighborhood's be a lie to say that some stu-
concerns, particularly since the
dents don't have felonies or
E "These are good students are so heavily super- haven't committed crimes, most
kids who just made vised at all times. The program kids were those who just found
director meets the kids when themselves without the neces-
bad decisions. They they arrive at the school and
still have every right walks them out and waits with sary decision'making skills.
to an education, A lot of them were forced
them when they are picked up. to row u too fast, some of
though." We really weren't concerned them too low," he said. "You
with them wandering around see a lot of the same problems
Joan Berry with kids at regular schools, it's
Placer County just that these are the kids who
Department of Education got caught."
unsupervised." Joan Berry, of Placer County
Britto said the school has a Department of Education,
resident. "These kids have done couple other options, however, agrees.
so much wrong that the state he did not wish to comment on "These are good kids, who
doesn't want them on its school those options at this point in just made bad'decisions,"Berry
properties. Some of them have time. said. "They still have every
committed damn-near felonies "The thing that we really right to an education, though.
and caused harm to other peo- failed to get across was the fact We're not going to give up on
ple." that if this program doesn't finding a school site for them
"We have no problem with exist,these kids are not going to —not just yet."
the program itself, it's just that be in school at all, but rather, While DePew says there are
we don't believe it should be in out on the streets alone," Britto no money-back guarantees that
our neighborhood,'he said. said. 'They might not necessari-
Resident Joel Quist said put ly be in these folks neighbor-
ting the Community School in hoods, but who knows. We see
the neighborhood was an impo- this as an extremely valuable
sition of the neighbors'rights as program. If people only really the program will work for every
citizens. knew what it's all about." student, he's seen the tremen-
"These are not good kids and A Fresh Start dous difference it can make
the school doesn't belong in when it does have an impact.
any neighborhood," Quist said,
"Since I've been at the "My real paycheck is seeing
been clean and I'v e
also expressing concern that school, these kids years after they've
students would be using the
sober for a year and a half, I'm
more focused on my school
neighborhood park for P.E. work and my attendance is like
"These kids lost the right to go 95 percent," said one Commu- left the school, seeing that
to public school, and they've nity School student. "I used to they've turned out okay, have
also lost the right to recreate," ditch class all the time, but not jobs and families — all thanks
he said. anymore. It's been nice to get to my nagging," he says with a
TDPUD President Nelson some counseling here, too. It smile.
Van Gundy said the turnout at really seems like everyone here "The best thing that has
the meeting was a real indicator cares about each other."
of concern over the project, Judge Andy Holmer in the
"I'd like to know if there's Nevada County Superior Court,
anyone here in support of the who sees many of the Commu- come out of this whole thing is
project?"Van Gundy asked. nity School students as they that I have come away from it
Not one hand was raised. ass through his courtroom, saying `God,I love these kids'.
The item was agendized for p
the PUD meeting on May'15, said it's vital that the communi- It really energized me to work
ty continues this program. harder for them,"says DePew.
however, the next morning,
"It really comes down to a
after learning of the commotion simple question: Do we want
the night before, John Britto, these kids on the street or at
director of facilities and con- home by themselves, or do we
struction for the school district, want them in school,continuing
called the PUD to withdraw their education?" he asked.
TTUSD's request to lease the "I've seen just how much of a
property. difference the school can make
"Overall, it's an extremely for some of the students."
difficult situation and I under-
stand their concerns," Britto
said.