Summer Campbell - Kern Valley Sun

The South Fork Union School District board meeting held Tuesday, Jan. 8 announced the host of changes being made on campus to encourage and improve the academic experience of its students.

The district spelling bee produced several winners including: 4th Grade- Brittani Smith and Cory Gonzalez, 5th Grade-Ben Couch and Jordan Vaughn, 6th grade- Chad Walker, Cory Cowper 7th grade- Corey Mixon, Joaquin Domanski, Nathan Couch 8th grade- Sean Kelsey, Corey Charbonneau, Jim Meadors, Katie Lundborg alternate: Samantha Luker 7th. The district also honored student success Friday with two awards assemblies. As a part of the agenda the board also approved a revised deferred maintenance program. While new play fields may be put on hold for the middle school, other improvements at both the elementary and middle school are already in the works. The South Fork middle school recently received the installation of a shade structure and the South Fork Elementary school is in the process of revamping the school library. 'A community member donated money in Ms. Gwen Smith's name, a pioneer of our South Fork community' explained Superintendent/Principal Robin Shive. The renovated library is planning a grand re-opening in the near future. The board of trustees also approved the fees to put in an asphalt parking lot at the South Fork Elementary school.

Shive discussed plans for the start of a declining enrollment committee designed to handle any foreseeable issues that may come up in the event of declining enrollment. There will be a declining enrollment meeting open to the public on Jan. 23 at 4:00 p.m. in the South Fork Middle School cafeteria. Following the Jan. 23 enrollment meeting will be a Special Education meeting to help parents fill out a survey for the special education review.

School transportation was addressed in the principal/superintendent's report. The district is planning on possibly revamping the transportation routes of the buses for the next school year in an attempt to cut transportation costs.

Trustee, Alan Jaffe reported on the headway in the tree planting project at the elementary school in his report on the community foundation. The grant application that was sent to the California Department of forestry requested $6,953 to purchase and plant 30 Blue Aptos Sequoia trees and 52 Italian Cypress, reported Jaffe. The grant if awarded to the school also includes funds to install irrigation systems to maintain the trees. The school will be informed on the status of the grant by Feb. 15. Teachers Ruth Carroll and Mary Ann Morgan have already begun developing a program to include the students in the tree planning and planting project.

Next month's South Fork Union School District board meeting will be held in the South Fork Middle School Community Center on Feb. 12 at 6:30 p.m.