Summer Vacation is Almost Over! (sorry, kids...)

The first day of school for students is Monday, August 24th. That day we will see lots of eager, well-dressed, happy students, looking for their classrooms and meeting up with their friends, some of whom they haven't seen for over two months!

Over the summer, we've been busy - hiring new teachers and support staff, ordering supplies and completing our summer maintenance projects.

Unfortunately, due to the sad state of our state budget, we have had to limit what we can accomplish with our facilities. Still our maintenance crew, under the direction of Miguel Mata, has been very busy. Fresh paint is all over our schools, cracked concrete is being patched, and some classes are getting long-overdue "mini-remodels" with new ceilings, flooring and paint.

This past year, our district was awarded over $800,000 from the federal "e-rate program" to update our computer network. With the new equipment, we have blazing internet speed and a direct fiber link to the Imperial Valley Telecommunications Authority network. The work on this project is almost complete and we are happy that we can provide this sort of technology to our students.

So what does the new state budget mean to Holtville Schools?

Due to the state and national economy, our budget has been severely cut. Holtville Schools will work with a budget that is about $3,000,000 less than what we should have received.

Our school board and administration, however, did not wait until the budget was passed to address the shortfall. Throughout last year, we became much more lean, working to cut expenses as far from the classroom as possible. We did not lay any employees off, but we did not fill all the positions that became vacant during the year. We are working with a much smaller staff now, but the students will not be denied a great education.

Despite the budget situation, each of our schools will still be offering great educational opportunities for our students. Music, art and athletics will still be going strong this year, despite the fact that many other districts have had to cut these programs. We have recently hired a new band director who is eager to carry on the tradition of the Viking Band of Pride, located in the newly named "Lendal Macon Music and Arts Center." Mr. Cato continues in his role as Athletic Director and assures me that we are going to have an outstanding program this year.

Our principals are also busy preparing for a great year!

I hope you and your families have enjoyed your time together this summer as we all look forward to another productive year at Holtville Schools!