In recent weeks, San Luis Coastal Unified School District approved over a $5 million budget cut that will impact staffing, counseling, and programs, such as music, librarians, and athletics. This decision was met with a strong opposition from parents, teachers, and students alike. The argument from the District was their income from the end of COVID funding and reduced funding received from Diablo Canyon Power Plant. While many questions can be asked as to why our District wasn’t prepared for the eminent shutting down of the power plant that has been known for over a decade, or that the temporary COVID funding was not meant to be a permanent stop gap, one thing is for sure, the District has expressed its desperate need for more funds.
This desire for more revenue brings focus to the current situation of the Morro Elementary School property’s hopeful sale by the District to the City of Morro Bay. Currently, the District is in negotiation with the City, and though numbers cannot be disclosed while there is an active negotiation; the City has stated that they have provided a meaningful offer. Concurrently, there are tenants that lease the Morro Elementary property, with the primary lease holder being a tuition free Montessori school. Even after maintenance, reports show that the school makes revenue. The City has expressed interest in the lease holders continuing to remain as negotiations proceed to make this a more viable project for the City.
However, the District’s Board of Trustees seems to have no intention of renewing the leases. Why? Better yet, accepting a good faith offer from the City, would remediate some of the shortfall in funding, and the City would be able to have lease holders generating a stream of revenue while the City and community decide the best use of this property in the heart of Morro Bay. The alternative threatened by the District of leaving such a prominent property vacant in the center of town would create a myriad of problems for the community and area-at-large.
If you were fortunate to have watched the documentary film “Botso, the Teacher from Tbilisi” that was recently played at the Bay Theatre hosted by Friends of Morro Elementary, then you got the pleasure of seeing a truly remarkable man that started the school music program for the children of Morro Bay and Los Osos; many of whom went on to became professional musicians such as the Grammy Award winner Kent Nagano. Our community has had, since the inception of Morro Elementary 90 years ago, a strong sense of obligation to our students, regardless of being a small town. Shouldn’t we continue the dedication offered to previous generations that make this such a beautiful place to raise children — a school district willing to go to any lengths to ensure our students have an instrument to play? A counselor to see?
Botso was one man that inspired many, as well as changing the trajectory of many lives. I can’t help but wonder if he would have been terminated in this recent budget cut, and all that would have been lost. I believe the community and above all, parents and teachers, should be aware that the District has options to rectify some budget cuts. We should encourage them to look at these options in earnest.
D’Arcy Castro, Board President
Friends of Morro Elementary
