Superintendent Crystle Nehrmeyer
Linda Lyon
The SaddleBrooke Democratic Club was pleased to host the Oracle School District superintendent, Crystle Nehrmeyer, as our November guest speaker. She had much to share with the members about the 401 students who attend Mt. Vista Elementary School, including the preschool, which is mostly funded through the Oracle Schools Foundation, with generous contributions from community members.
The past three school years have definitely been challenging for districts. She noted that the last normal school year fourth graders experienced was kindergarten. Younger students have never had a normal school year, but rather, have been forced to deal with social distancing, hand sanitizer, wearing masks, and online learning since their formal education began. Although children are resilient, this upheaval of “normal ops” creates many challenges schools continue to deal with. Fortunately, the district’s 83 staff members continue to lean forward to ensure creative solutions are found and needs are met. That, no doubt, is one of the reasons enrollment continues to increase and why there is even a waiting list for preschool students.
At the same time, there are some much-needed upgrades and renovations going on at the Mt. Vista campus, courtesy of the voter-approved $13.2 million bond. The parking lot and traffic flow have been reconfigured to make pickup and drop-off much safer, restrooms are finally ADA compliant, the kitchen now meets safety standards, HVAC units were replaced, and groundwork for the construction of a new 10-classroom building is underway.
Superintendent Nehrmeyer made it clear that, in addition to ensuring students are safe and learning, oversight of all incoming monies is a high priority. No matter where the funds come from, be it federal funding, per-student state allocations, locally funded bond and override monies, grant funding, or tax credit donations, the district’s governing board and staff are laser-focused on ensuring careful oversight and the biggest bang for the buck. This has been especially important with the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Response (ESSER) monies from the federal government, mostly spent to facilitate at-home learning when in-person attendance was most hazardous and to continue to maximize safety and learning during COVID.
Finally, Superintendent Nehrmeyer expressed her gratitude for the tremendous community support the district enjoys. This support, critical to student success, comes not only from individual citizens, but from numerous organizations like the Oracle Schools Foundation, SaddleBrooke Community Outreach, SaddleBrooke Rotary Club, Sunshine Rotary Club, San Manuel Elks Lodge, and Family First and Sun Life Family Health Center in Oracle.
The SaddleBrooke Democratic Club normally meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 3:30 p.m. in the SaddleBrooke One Activities Center. The widely advertised annual dinner on Jan. 30 is sold out. For more information about the club and how to join, go to our website www.SaddleBrookeDemocrats.org.