School districts plan partnership to improve efficiency, save money

South County districts are taking the advice of Total School Solutions and moving ahead to form a Special Education Consortium. Many of the districts are also looking at the transportation report and trying to figure out what changes can be made now, who they can form a consortium with, and what steps they can take in the future once the economy improves.

According to Tim Azevedo, superintendent for the Anderson Union High School District, they are looking for a building to house Special Education and then at hiring one person to be the director for the program. He said the superintendents felt they could be more effective, the more eyes looking at it the better.

According to Azevedo, they are expecting to have the first part of their plan in place in the next 12-15 months.

According to John Almond, interim superintendent for Cascade Elementary Union School District, they are looking at both transportation and Special Education, but are moving more quickly with Special Education.

He said they are trying to do smart things while providing resources to the kids. According to Almond, one of the biggest goals after hiring a director is sharing programs so that each district is not duplicating resources.

Bow Lowden, superintendent of Cottonwood Union School District, said that while forming a consortium for Special Education may not save money, it would be more efficient in the way it served the kids.

On the transportation side, Cottonwood is looking at the possibility of joining with Happy Valley and forming a transportation consortium. They have a few ideas but are looking into more options, said Lowden.

According to Azevedo, things are going well with the current arrangement the high school district has with the Shasta County Office of Education. He said one of the main problems with trying to form a transportation consortium is that there isn't a centralized bus yard, and while the district has land that could be used for that purpose, there isn't any money to develop the land.

Almond agreed with both Lowden and Azevedo. They too are looking at their options, but without a centralized bus yard there isn't much the district can do. However, once the economy turns around there is a possibility of the districts coming together to form a transportation consortium.