Hello MBUSD family,
As summer approaches, we find ourselves not only preparing for the end of the school year, but also in full scale preparation mode for the beginning of the 2021-22 school year. Our summer will contain major construction projects as we continue our work at Grand View and initiate our work at Pennekamp and Manhattan Beach Preschool. We have begun accepting enrollment for our new kindergarten and transitional kindergarten classes. And we are now in the process of building our classes and schedules for all of our students and teachers.
I have mentioned several times that we expect to be open 100% next fall. The Board will be passing a resolution tomorrow night affirming their commitment to open schools fully on August 25. It is going to happen. I keep hearing that some families who left MBUSD and are considering re-enrolling, but are still on the fence about when to do that. I’m telling you - the time is now. The longer families wait, the greater the chance that they might not be able to attend their home school. We are a public school district - we guarantee a seat to anyone who lives here. But if, when a family enrolls, their home site is already full in that grade, we will assign the student to another school where there is room in that grade. The good news is that all of our schools and teachers are fantastic, so students are remarkably happy and successful wherever they are enrolled. But I also know that parents want the school that is closest to their home, or the site their student attended prior to the pandemic. The best way to have that option is to enroll your child now.
On another note, I know that we are all thrilled with the progress that our nation, state, and county have made in getting to a point where some of the restrictions we've faced over the past year can be lifted. However, it is important to understand that MBUSD is still required to follow County guidelines. This means that, at least through June 15, we will need employees, students, and anyone else authorized to attend to wear a mask at all times on campus and at all school events. We know this is different from the CDC's guidelines, but we follow LACDPH's guidelines. All of us appreciate everyone's understanding, cooperation, and support in making sure that we are in compliance in order to protect our ability to continue to provide these events. We need everyone's continued vigilance as we work to cross the finish line in closing out the school year. We are going to make it.
Finally, as promised last week, I want to take this opportunity to thank our classified employees. This week is Classified School Employee Week. In the California public education world, a classified employee is defined as an employee who does not need a credential to be hired for their position. We have 438 classified employees in MBUSD in many different types of positions, including the talented and hard-working individuals serving food to our students, taking care of our grounds, keeping our schools clean and safe, providing effective technology for students and employees, paying the bills and running payroll, fixing whatever needs fixing, hiring and supporting employees, assisting students and teachers in the classroom, providing invaluable assistance for our front offices, libraries, health offices, and so much more. Our goal in MBUSD is to make a difference with our students. And while many of our classified employees do not work directly with students, (the same is true for me!) the work that they do allows those who do work directly with students to perform their jobs more effectively.
So, on behalf of our community, I thank our classified employees. I am grateful for them being among the first who returned to work during the pandemic, feeding our students and ensuring that our schools remained safe for everyone in the MBUSD community. I appreciate their reliability and responsibility, and doing the behind the scenes work that makes our schools and classrooms the wonderful places that they are. It is gratifying and comforting to know that when there is a problem in our schools (and sometimes those problems do not occur at convenient times), we can rely on our classified employees to come to work and do what it takes to diagnose and fix that problem. Our classified employees are there for our MBUSD community, whenever and whatever it takes, and it is an honor to call them my valued colleagues for the last eleven years.
Have a great week, everyone.
