Big Oak Flat-Groveland district split nixed

A proposal to split Don Pedro High School from the Big Oak Flat-Groveland Unified School District was abandoned Wednesday after it was determined Don Pedro does not have enough students to financially sustain such a move.

Big Oak Flat-Groveland Unified School District board members learned of the development at their regular board meeting, at which a consultant’s analysis of a split was presented.

After a Feb. 25 board meeting, at which the split proposal was well received, District Superintendent Mari Brabbin met with representatives of a Sacramento-area law firm that specializes in such matters.
    

The firm drew up five possible scenarios that included: Don Pedro and the two Groveland-area schools, Tioga High School and Tenaya Elementary School, split into two different districts; Don Pedro break off and join a Mariposa County district; Don Pedro split and absorb another school to form a new district; Don Pedro split and join a different Tuolumne County district; or Don Pedro become a charter school.

Don Pedro’s 50 students and 13 home-school students could not financially survive any of the scenarios, Brabbin said.

Don Pedro High School needs at least 100 students to be feasible, she said.

“We’re looking at high schools with declining enrollments,” she added.

Earlier in the evening, Emily Hanchett, part of the leadership team of the BOFG Teachers Association, said the association doesn’t support Don Pedro High School separating from the district.

This issue died without much argument from the audience.

“I think we can just let it go,” Brabbin said.

In other business, the board approved cutting one full-time teacher from both Don Pedro and Tioga high schools, two contracted counselors, and the welding program from Don Pedro at the end of the school year.

The district has to cut 15 percent of some of its categorically funded programs because of state money woes.

Brabbin said cutting the welding program was due to a lack of student enrollment.

Wynette Hilton, representing the district teachers association, asked if the counselors being cut were high school counselors.

Brabbin said they were contractual counselors for student emotional issues, not school counselors.

 Brabbin said that there would be further in-service cuts made at future board meetings.