Fort Ross Elementary is a small, rural, one-school district founded in 1885. Located in northwestern Sonoma County, Fort Ross School sits on the beautiful coastal ridge near Fort Ross State Historic Park and Timber Cove.
A few years ago, a California law was written that left our school district out. Even though we are in a far-away area with very few people, the state didn't officially call us a "Frontier District." Being a Frontier District is important because it is a special title for the smallest of the small schools. Because we didn't have this title, we had to run our after school program for longer hours, pay more in salaries, and we got less money.
I met with many leaders from the county, Northern California region, and state to explain why this was unfair. No one could help, but I didn't give up! I finally met with top officials in the state government. They agreed there were flaws in the law, but they said no immediate change was possible.
Finally, this year, all my hard work paid off! Because I kept speaking up, the state rewrote the rules. Now, our district and a few others in Northern California are officially Frontier Districts. This means we finally get extra money for our students and better rules for our hours.
We learned three big lessons from this:
With great gratitude, Mrs. Dudley
Welcome to our new Website!
