Good afternoon, Caleb Families, 

In December, I shared with you all that Caleb, along with a number of other programs and sites, was included in the district’s Fiscal Recovery Plan for staffing cuts that would have eliminated our IB Coordinator position and ultimately our designation as an IB World School. We were not the only school facing devastating cuts. Over the course of the last two months, school board members, district staff, principals, teachers, parents and students across our district have advocated and collaborated together to better understand the impact of these cuts and identify alternative solutions. 

I’m pleased to let you know that at last night’s board meeting, the district presented a revised Fiscal Recovery Plan that did not include staffing cuts to Caleb, Kit Carson and a number of other schools. The board voted to approve this revised plan, meaning that our IB Coordinator position, as well as positions at Kit Carson, are safe for next school year. This is great news and a shining example of our IB attribute Communicator and Action focus Advocacy at work. I want to extend a huge thank you to our PTSO and School Site Council for leading the advocacy charge, to all our Caleb families out there who wrote to board members and labor partners, and to our 6th graders who advocated with their very own Save IB video. 

While this is great news for our community, our district and the 38,000 children we collectively serve are not out of the woods. Despite one-time Covid relief funds and an optimistic 21-22 state budget that increases funding for K-12 education, our district is not fiscally sound, which puts all of us at risk for a future state takeover. I will continue to educate our Caleb community as more information becomes available on this front and I encourage all of you to continue to stay informed. There is still work to be done for our current and future Caleb Cougars and all Sac City children and families. 

In the meantime, great job Cougars. I am proud to be your leader and grateful for your efforts to sustain this incredible program we’ve built together. 

You can see the revised FRP here. Please note the board voted to approve the cuts with the exception of IB/AP Testing Fees and Elementary Sports, both of which will be studied further to explore alternative funding sources.

Have a great weekend and enjoy your day off on Monday.

Principal Erin Hanson