It’s taken me this long to find the words to express my gratitude to the Ojai Valley community for your overwhelming support of the Ojai Unified School District’s Measure K on the ballot last week. By more than 60% of the vote, you showed our kids that they matter. That the schools we provide for them matter. Thank you.
Your support will help upgrade our small unique (but old!) country schools and provide our students with the facilities and resources they need to become educated and successful global citizens.
Through high school, I went to small Catholic schools. Good on education and dedication, but far shorter on resources. No music, no theatre, no shop, no pool, no art. I had to wait for summer school in public schools for all that.
I don’t want to see our small size limit our kids. Small schools are a treasure. It’s so easy to get lost in a big school; to be a faceless kid to everyone including teachers. Our small schools provide a unique opportunity for every kid to be seen, heard, taught, and supported.
But our small size hurts us too. It limits our resources. I don’t want our kids’ futures limited. I want it all. I want small intimate schools with great resources. This election, your support put us on that road.
We made great strides with the Measure J funds you provided us. We’ve replaced roofs, HVAC, windows, built a fabulous new dining hall at Matilija, and more. But we knew that wouldn’t be enough. You stuck with us by supporting Measure K.
Measure K will go even farther. So whether you have kids or not, whether they’re in our schools or not, thank you for helping us fulfill our mission of providing a student-centered learning experience that supports the social and emotional well-being of our students and their academic success, and with a focus on making meaningful connections to our community values.
I thank you, our teachers and staff thank you. And most importantly, our kids will thank you too.
Shanahan for Ojai 