Dan Moirao to stay as superintendent of South Monterey County Joint Union High School District

Starting Friday, the South Monterey County Joint Union High School District has returned to local control.

But that does not mean the district will lose its state-appointed administrator. Dan Moirao, who has been at the helm of the district since 2012, will remain as superintendent for a year.

“It’s been a lot of work but we finally regained local control,” Moirao said. “We’re fiscally solvent, we graduated more students from our two comprehensive high schools than in the (previous) decade and we’re very pleased with that. More students have reclassified from English learners, the drop out rates are falling significantly. Those are good indicators. Maybe we've done something right.”

South Monterey County, formerly King City Union High, was placed under state receivership in 2009, after the district needed a $13 million loan to cover its future debts. The state appointed an administrator and it was supposed to remain under its control until the debt was fully paid.

Although the debt has not been fully repaid (there are still about $11 million outstanding), the district has a good repayment plan, Moirao said. The district will remain under trusteeship until the debt is paid, but the newly appointed state trustee will only have veto power over financial decisions. The local board will be able to make non-financial decision independently of the trustee.

Newly appointed Linda Grundhofher, who has been in King City before, “could rescind any decision the board makes that has the potential to put the district into financial trouble again,” Moirao said. “But just on the finances. As state administrators I was in complete controls of everything.”

Moirao said the local board will begin looking for a permanent superintendent within the next year.

Teens wanted for Salinas Valley Fair junior fair board

The Salinas Valley Fair is seeking young adults for its Junior Fair Board. As many as twenty-five members are selected to volunteer throughout the year on behalf of the Salinas Valley Fair. Duties include assisting at fair events, providing outreach, event planning and coordinating events within the fair.

Candidates should be between 14 and 21 and enrolled in a high school, college or technical school program at the time they begin their service on the Junior Fair Board.

Junior Fair Board members are selected based on the information submitted in their applications. Candidates must demonstrate an interest in leadership by showing examples of where they have taken initiative at school and within their communities. The selection process includes an interview and selected candidates will be notified by mail.

Ideal candidates are those who have demonstrated leadership, initiative, and selflessness. The selection committee reviews the applicant’s application packet in its entirety and seeks to select the students who are best qualified and most likely to benefit from the Junior Fair Board Program. Successful applicants are resourceful individuals who have shown a clear interest in their community and the initiative necessary to pursue their goals with conviction.

Selected students participate in monthly meetings, must attend one board meeting of the Salinas Valley Fair, and assist with special projects throughout the year. An average student will commit about 3 hours a month to the JFB leadership program and must be available to work during the annual fair May 12-15, 2016 in King City.

Applications for the Salinas Valley Fair Junior Fair Board must be received by Friday, October 16th. Applications are online here and should be mailed to Salinas Valley Fair, 625 Division Street, King City 93930.

Financial relief coming South Monterey County High School District's way

Governor Jerry Brown has signed a budget trailer bill to reduce the interest rate on South Monterey County High School district emergency loan. The bill includes language that will allow it to repay its debt to the state in a shorter amount of time that originally designed. School districts in Oakland, Vallejo and Contra Costa County have already benefitted from refinancing their emergency state loans.

The school district received a $13 million emergency loan in 2009 as it was projected to be fiscally insolvent. By law, the school district was forced to finance with the state-run California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank (I-Bank). At the time, the interest rate for I-Bank was at 5.44 percent. In California, only three other school districts have emergency loans and their interest rates are below 2 percent.

"This is a huge victory for the students of South Monterey County," said Sen. Anthony Cannella, co-author of the bill. "The school district is paying $1.2 million annually in debt and carrying the highest interest rate any school in California has ever paid. This relief means major savings to the district and will allow it to restore programs focused on student achievement."