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BILL MCCABE
We have just completed another great year at both the Yosemite Joint Union
High School District and the Coarsegold Union Elementary School District.
Even before one year ends, we are busy planning for the upcoming year
and we all look forward to the 2003-04 term.
To say that we have completed another great year is to say that the staff,
students, volunteers, parents and administrators have all worked hard
to make that happen. Without the efforts of everyone involved we would
not be able to say we had a great year. I want to extend my appreciation
to everyone who has worked hard at all of our schools to make them a place
where meaningful education takes place every day.
Looking back over the 2002-03 school year, we see that schools faced challenges
along with enjoying success. The biggest challenge we are facing at this
time is the state budget. We will not know for some time to come what
our income from the state will be, yet we have to prepare our district
budgets. We have completed that task knowing that revisions may be necessary
after the state budget is adopted.
Each district has adopted a conservative budget, planning for lean times
in the state for the next several years. We have worked hard to trim our
spending in ways that have the least impact on students and the classroom.
It will take a commitment from everyone to make it through these times
without severely disrupting the students' education. We are committed
to doing that.
One of the biggest tasks we undertook during the 2002-03 year was the
feasibility study to unify the two districts. We are moving forward in
that process and we look forward to working hard to inform the voters
about what unification would mean. Ultimately, the voters will decide,
therefore it is our responsibility to make sure they have as much information
as possible.
The students in both districts enjoyed many successes throughout the year,
thanks to their hard work and the work of our dedicated teachers and coaches.
Congratulations to everyone.
Some major events took places at our schools during the year. The recycling
project at Coarsegold Elementary stands out in my mind along with the
Leadership Class at Rivergold Elementary and Challenge Day and the Greatest
Generation projects at Yosemite High School.
As always, we received tremendous support from the community. Without
support from businesses, individuals and organizations, much of what we
do would be impossible. The community helped purchase playground equipment
for Coarsegold Elementary and they helped send eighth grade students on
an overnight field trip.
Donations made Challenge Day possible and greatly assisted us with the
successful Sober Graduation party for the YHS seniors. We have received
donations for our new ball fields at YHS and for our swimming pool complex.
Businesses, organizations and individuals donated almost $96,000 to the
community awards program for the seniors at the schools in the YJUHSD.
How can we adequately say thank you for such generosity?
Many volunteers have given of their time and talents to enhance the education
of our students. We appreciate these people very much. We encourage people
to volunteer with our students; anyone who is interested should contact
the school's principal.
The construction project at Yosemite High continued through the year.
Construction is currently underway on a new music classroom. When it is
completed, we will remodel the current building to become a performing
arts center. The new classroom should be ready for use during the Fall
2003 semester. Future projects will hinge, in large part, on state funding
which is, at this time, still undetermined.
Finally, many thanks to all of the staff members at all of our facilities.
They are a group of hard-working dedicated professionals who work hard
to make school a safe and special place for the students. Whatever their
job assignment, they all work toward one goal: A successful learning experience
for the students.
School
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