In a nice development for local families, the Sebastopol School District Board of Education voted to drop the family transportation fee for the 2006-2007 school year. Board members felt that it was important to solicit additional ridership on the shuttle bus system by dropping the $100 fee. As fuel prices have increased for families, both the Board and District staff felt that moving to get more students on the buses would help many families and potentially the environment if fewer cars are on the road.

“We can’t afford to go back to the old routes that ran down many roads to pick up individual students,” stated Superintendent David Wheeler. “California’s legislature and past governors have never funded home-to-school transportation at a level that pays the actual costs. It has been their contention that getting kids to school is really a parent’s responsibility. The Sebastopol Board felt it was a good faith move on their part to drop this fee at least for this school year,” stated Wheeler.

The Sebastopol Union School District will be entering into a comprehensive planning process this fall that is intended to identify a district-wide set of goals to guide our schools and employees over the next three years. The process will include a wide cross-section of participants, and include the identification of key tasks designed to facilitate the accomplishment of the goals.

An important part of the planning process will be a district survey of parents and employees, designed to confirm the District’s strengths and areas for growth. The survey will be distributed in October, and may be returned to your school office or the District Office. It will also be available for completion through our web site.

A comprehensive planning team will be selected and meet in early November to work together on validating the District’s mission and core values. The team will include parents, teachers, support staff, site principals, representatives of the Board, and community representatives. The planning team will work with information from the survey, as well as their own insights, to identify goals and tasks for the coming year.

More information and important dates will appear from time to time on the District website and be distributed through school offices.