SUBMITTED BY ROBERT SHUMWAY

Dear Dr. Hammond and DJUSD Board Members,

First off let me be clear in my message, closure of Emerson is unacceptable.

Closure of any Junior High in Davis is irresponsible. The decisions of past and present DJUSD Board Members, demonstrate that Superintendents and their administrations have been negligent in fulfilling their responsibilities for educating our children. It MUST STOP NOW!!

Now is your chance to actually show some leadership and management skills and earn the respect of those who voted you into office and for those of us for who you currently claim to represent. I have three children affected by your decision on whether or not to close Emerson. (One currently enrolled and two in the future) To this date, I have received NO official communication from the DJUSD about the potential closure of Emerson. NO email, NO, postcard or mailing, NO flyer sent home with my children. The only communication has been by word of mouth by the PTAs of the affected schools. Once again, this demonstrates to me a lack of leadership and managerial incompetence. Where is the Committee or Advisory Council seeking community input from parents and educators and studying alternatives to the closure of schools? Your haste in rushing to a decision is another indication of leadership and managerial incompetence.

While the current situation is due, in large part, to poor planning by prior DJUSD Board Members, Superintendents and their administrations, the future lies in your hands. Continuing to make poor decisions maintaining the status quo must stop now.

When I began to talk with friends about the potential closure of Emerson or any Junior High in Davis, I did some research and found the DJUSD Mission as stated on the district website…

“It is the Mission of the Davis Joint Unified School District, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS, to provide a quality education program for all students that develops the knowledge, skills, abilities, and values need for our students to reach their full potential.”

How ironic!!!! Less than 12 words into the district’s own Mission Statement is the mention of partnership with parents. Is that just when it’s convenient for the board or as part of an ongoing, continual process? In the same document as the Mission Statement, are the Goals for Davis Schools for the 21^st Century. Eight are listed and the District is failing in six of them. Of course the document was written in 2001, so maybe the lack of an update was the fault of a previous DJUSD Board too. Doesn’t our DJUSD board write a new mission statement and set new goals every year, let alone every time a new member is voted into office? Not doing so is another indication of leadership and managerial incompetence.

THE EDUCATION OF OUR CHILDREN IS IN FORECLOSURE!! The District needs cash. Plain and Simple. For whatever reasons….the State Government, past DJUSD decisions, lack of enrollment, city tax shortfall, whatever the reason…..you need cash to continue the quality of education for which DJUSD is known for. Harper Junior High and Korematsu Elementary School should never have been built. That was leadership and managerial incompetence at its greatest, as well as being an enormous waste of District money, part of which could have been used to repair and retrofit our existing schools. It’s time to liquidate some assets before you liquidate the education of our children. Your responsibility is to the education of our children. Here are some cost-saving options that need study:

1. Move district offices to Valley Oak Site
2. Sell entire City Block of current DJUSD offices
1. Sell the current District office building and rent it back for a year or two, if necessary, while preparing Valley Oak. It will take that long for developer to get plans approved to do anything with that site.
3. Sell King High School site, move to Davis High to Co-Exist with DaVinci
1. Recently rebuilt site should make for great office complex and raise much needed cash
4. Sell Nugget Fields Site
1. Last time I checked Emerson, Harper, and Holmes Jr Highs all have soccer fields
2. Charge the various leagues a nominal usage fee for use of Jr High Fields
5. Sell Grande Ave Site
1. Why wasn’t this done a decade ago when the site was determined to be too small for district use?
6. Liquidate other real estate assets
1. Valley Oak Elementary School site
2. Fairfield Elementary School site (Agricultural, Farmland)

We are fortunate enough to live in an area where Real Estate is still valuable and at a premium. The DJUSD does not have the luxury of being in the Real Estate business at this time. It’s time to refinance our education system and refocus on the priorities, THE EDUCATION of OUR CHILDREN. Anything short of that is another symptom of leadership and managerial incompetence.

While it is recognized that there are limitations on how land money is allowed to be spent, it would free up other monies to be spent on teachers and programs. Furthermore, with some effort, State Government could assist with emergency legislation to allow for alternate spending allowances. You’ll notice that the 6 prior listed suggestions don’t include closing the oldest Junior High, Holmes, or the elimination of luxury programs such as GATE, Caesar Chavez Elementary, Fairfield Elementary or the abolishment of all school sponsored sports and music programs. The quality education of our children needs to come first!! Refusing to study alternatives to closing currently operating neighborhood schools based on locally viable populations is another indication of leadership and managerial incompetence.

It is time to show some leadership and managerial competence by slowing down the process and by studying alternatives. Acting quickly and hastily is unacceptable for our children’s future and their education. It’s time to liquidate assets to save our schools and the education of our children. Failure to act to save our schools and teachers without looking at all of the creative possibilities begs the question……What is so wrong with Yolo County taking over control of our schools?

Respectfully,

Robert Shumway

cc : Assembly Member Lois Wolk, Senator Michael Machado, Supervisor Helen Thompson, Editor/Assistant Publisher of The Davis Enterprise-Debbie Davis