This month, I want to start by congratulating our Scotts Valley High Lady Falcons varsity basketball team! For the first time ever, they advanced into the third round of the CIF NorCal Finals. This is the farthest the team has ever advanced, which is particularly impressive considering they were one of the few remaining public schools in the tournament. Falcons Fly!
On Feb. 24, your Board took unanimous action to reduce our operating budget by over $1 million per year, beginning with the upcoming 2026-27 school year. This is the hardest part of our job, but our district team built a responsible plan to balance our student needs with fiscal responsibility. These cost-saving measures were shared across all sites and employee groups, including our leadership team in the district office. In many cases, these efforts were guided by reduced student needs due to declining enrollment.
These reductions were less severe than they otherwise would have been if we didn’t have the generous support of our parent associations and this community’s support through Measure V and Measure O. My column last month provided background on why these cuts were necessary, so I encourage you to have a look at it, if you haven’t already: bit.ly/SVBellFeb26.
This fiscal prudence has produced a much better Second Interim financial update, which the Board reviewed on March 10. Once approved, we will submit this update to the County Office of Education to receive a Positive Certification, which essentially shows that we are forecasting an operating budget that “stays in the black” for the next three years, as required by state law.
The District continues to advance bond project planning, meeting weekly at a minimum. While nothing is certain, the latest update indicates that we may finally receive approval from the Division of the State Architect this week to begin our new stadium work at Scotts Valley High. Fingers crossed! Once we receive this approval, our contractor and architect can finalize the construction plan and bid, allowing us to break ground. We continue to move forward with progress at our elementary sites, prioritizing multipurpose rooms and new playground equipment at both sites.
I mentioned this in my column last month, but now that it’s closer, I want to share more details about the upcoming Wellness Walk on March 28. This student-led event, sponsored by the SVHS Parent Club, is a fundraiser for our Wellness Center at the high school. The Center is staffed by wellness professionals who offer support to hundreds of students with emotional support, mental health resources, creating a space that encourages a sense of belonging for our students. The center provides self-service and structured services on campus and referrals to off-campus resources as well.
The event kicks off at 10am with a pre-walk rally at SVHS and a walk start time of 10:30. There will be two fully supported routes with water, snacks and activities along the way. After the walk, return to the high school for a post-walk Wellness Festival with yoga and martial arts demonstrations, speakers, a bounce house, and more! Learn more and sign up at svwellnesswalk.com.
With spring in the air, I want to encourage you to come out and see our spring sports, including our baseball and softball games. Visit svhsfalconclub.com and scroll to the bottom of the page to find links to the schedules for all of our spring sports. Our teams are looking strong, and they always appreciate community support.
In our ongoing efforts to stay in touch with the community, your school board has just launched a new website that will provide board meeting updates, and other education news. Check out this new resource at svusdboardupdate.com. Spearheaded by trustees Stephanie Espinola and Erica Turzak, the site will be updated after each board meeting to provide short summaries of presentations and decisions from the last meeting. We hope you all find this resource helpful, and look forward to your feedback.
As I mentioned last month, your schools are observing March as Different Abilities Month, where students are learning about inclusion, acceptance, and the unique strengths each individual brings to our community. Some disabilities you can see, and some you can’t, but everyone deserves kindness, respect, and a chance to belong.
March is also Women’s History Month, where we celebrate the role of women in our society, past and present, encouraging all students to learn about their vital contributions to America. Students will be learning about astronaut Sally Ride, scientist Madame Curie and Sojourner Truth, a former slave who became a powerful advocate for abolition, women’s rights and civil rights. She made history by winning a court case to recover her son and inspired generations with her activism.
Roger Snyder is the Board President of Scotts Valley Unified School District. He may be contacted at rs*****@*************sd.org.
