The Coalition for Neighborhood Schools
By Bonnie Donovan
The Fallacy of a “15-Minute City”
Last week was a vibrant showcase of Santa Barbara Unified students, highlighting the focus on our youth. If the city genuinely aims to create a 15-minute city, one must question the absence of a neighborhood school in the downtown area. The discussions surrounding the school board and its well-compensated administrators often overshadow the voices of the children. This was evident in the series of back-to-back meetings, complete with meals, that took place.
The Coalition for Neighborhood Schools
The first gathering was organized by the Coalition for Neighborhood Schools (CNS), which has an executive team of four: Rosanne Crawford, Lanny Ebenstein, Alice Post, and Laura Wilson. The group was formed in 1990 and some of the previous members of its executive team included Gil Garcia, Frank Banales, and Joe Armandariz.
This year, they are expanding that team to six, and have invited Jacqueline Inda and Nick Sebastian to join. The six executive team members will meet quarterly and put on events about once a year. This year, CNS will be hosting multiple community events to garner support for its facilities’ master plan.
They believe the time is now and that financial imperatives will drive the establishment of a neighborhood concept to reduce transportation costs in the near short term (one to two years). They have developed a facilities master plan that will create more walkable school communities and will save the SBUSD potentially more than a million dollars, possibly multiple millions of dollars, without closing a single elementary school campus.
Declining enrollment is a blessing in disguise. Declining enrollment means there is space at several campuses, which will make it easier to create walkable school boundaries utilizing the school facilities already in place.
CNS has about 500 people in its immediate circle of influence, an email list of over 200 people who have attended candidate forums and has built relationships with many of the over 40 Lincoln alumni who attended the 150-year Lincoln Elementary School reunion in October 2024, which CNS helped to organize.
On its website, under Lincoln Reunion 2024, you will find moving testimonies from about a dozen Lincoln friends and alums who attended the reunion at Shoreline Park. Emcee Marvin Gibson’s comments were especially poignant. Included at the gathering were video clips from Marvin Gibson and Chuck Bischof, Cliff Lambert (a Santa Barbara Boys and Girls Club and City Parks and Rec icon), who sent his regrets but wishes us well in our endeavor, and Alberto Leon.
For more information about CNS, and to become a member by joining its Facebook group, you can contact them at: cns4schools@aol.com, or call (805) 705-3209. CNS’s mission is to bring walkable schools to Santa Barbara by opening classroom facilities in the center areas of the city.
On to a Dinner Invitation
The Spring Banquet hosted by the Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) took place at Calvary Chapel, attracting an impressive attendance of 244 individuals.
The banquet featured three children from the CEF Good News Club, who shared their personal experiences, highlighting the positive impact the club has had on their lives. Established in 1937, CEF operates in every state across the United States and extends its reach to 192 countries worldwide.
Locally, the organization boasts over 158 children participating in Good News Clubs, supported by 59 trained volunteers dedicated to serving these young individuals. For those interested in learning more about Good News Clubs or exploring volunteer opportunities, please reach out to Sharon Jegottka via email at sharon.jegottka@cefsantabarbara.org
or visit the website at www.cefsantabarbara.org.
Here is an urgent message from Barbara Batastini, organizer of the event: “We don't need to be busy people; we need to be productive people if we want results. Our hair should be standing up with the growing progressive movement in our schools. Our action is overdue. Let's break the lethargic spell off Santa Barbara!”
I was so moved I didn’t leave without donating to CEF.
Updates
I just received a response to my Public Records request from the County… Now for my IT guy to open it for me.
We still haven't located Joe Holland.
In last week's column, I used words like “stop this shit”… etcetera, regarding State Street. The purpose of those words was that it was the third time I was almost taken out by a bicycle on the Promenade. This time it was a regular bike (not electric), the cyclist was maybe about 50 or older (not a kid).
Sorry for that language.
Take a look at COLAB’s latest video, “The Great Fee Heist”
Among the stupidities committed by previous school administrations and blessed by school boards, the shortsighted decision to sell school property 40 years ago. During a brief period, enrollments dropped for about 5 years. My son, born 1977, was among that group of schoolchildren who were sometimes placed in combined classes (2nd and 3rd together) because enrollment had declined. But like the Stock Market, what goes down will eventually climb back up again. And in desirable South County, the inevitable happened, about 1990. Among the schools sold: beautiful Garfield Elementary School in Oak Park. It's now SBCC's Schott Center. My husband attended Garfield when it first opened in 1934, his grandmother a charter member of the PTA. Ken walked 1 block to school. Today's kids are transported to Adams School, across busy Las Positas. Postscript: Hope District did it right. During those years of dropped enrollment, the district rented Hope School to Montessori. Vieja Valley and Monte Vista (Eric's school) remained open. As the district prepared for the uptick, they took over Hope and fixed her up and voila! -- 3 fine schools serving all the district's families. Imagine if Hope had done as Santa Barbara and Goleta.
Bonnie, thank you so much for drawing our attention to this vital group and movement- we must return schools to local neighborhoods to start to recover vital community and culture that is eroding year by year. We have lost so much that benefits our children by bussing and going to schools that are not in our neighborhoods- All of us should promote and support this movement for the betterment of Santa Barbara families and the well being of our wonderful city!!!