Opinion
- Details
- Written by: Dr. Nicki Thomas
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. — In Kelseyville, our public schools help students and community members thrive.
Our primary responsibility is to provide a safe and nurturing environment where students can master the skills they need to succeed in school and in life.
And that’s just the beginning. We also make our facilities available to community organizations to enrich the quality of life for everyone who lives in our town.
Building a sense of school spirit and community
At Kelseyville Elementary School, or KES, we’ve created an adopt-the-campus clean up initiative where individual classes sign up to clean the campus each week, giving students a feeling of pride in their school and camaraderie with classmates.
KES is also in the process of creating a fifth-grade student council leadership team that will be responsible for reading a weekly bulletin to the whole school via Google Meet.
At Riviera Elementary, leadership students help run events during the school year, and the student council president and vice president help Principal Tavis Perkins run the honor assemblies.
At Mountain Vista Middle School, the Leadership Class plans and runs activities, organizes fundraisers, and puts on events like school dances. Early leadership experiences like student council help students realize they are part of a larger group that works best when everyone pitches in.
We also have programs that allow older students to support younger students. Mountain Vista Middle School students serve as peer readers in elementary school classrooms, and Kelseyville High School students help supervise structured recess activities and provide additional support in classrooms for students in need of a positive role model.
The high school volunteer program, called KHS Champions, is composed of 12 students who visit KES from 8 a.m. to 12:40 p.m. to work with students and teachers from grades K-5. The goal of bringing older students to the elementary school is for all students to develop stronger social connections, empathy for others, and stronger foundations in their school environments. And who knows, maybe the program will ignite an interest in the field of education for some of these students.
According to our school counselor, Allison Panella, the benefits of this program have been remarkable. She said, “The KHS students have quickly become popular with the younger kids and have developed quite the entourage. Their presence has made a noticeable difference, offering extra support to teachers and creating a more engaging recess environment. The younger KES students gain confidence and enjoy the positive interactions, while the high schoolers learn the importance of giving back, helping others, and understanding the impact of their contributions on the school community.”
She meets with the high school volunteers every Friday to reflect on their experiences, discuss successes and challenges, and ensure the students feel supported in their roles. On the last Friday of each month, they enjoy a pizza lunch to thank the students. Allison said, “Their dedication has been truly transformative for KES, and I believe it’s a great example of promoting civic engagement in our community. Mountain Vista Middle School will be sending students to KES as well, and I plan to model their engagement the same way.”
Not only do we support strong student connections, we also make schools feel welcoming to students’ families by hosting events in partnership with our parent-teacher organizations. At Riviera Elementary School, for example, families just enjoyed their first Fall Movie Night, and at the end of the month we’re having a Fall Festival, including “trunk or treating,” a haunted garden and greenhouse tour, carnival games, and a costume contest. This brings people together and lets families get to know one another.
Out in the community, our high school students connect with community organizations, too. Kelseyville Community Organization for Rescue and Public Service, or K-CORPS, is a two-year program where students work directly with the Lake County Sheriff’s Department learning skills such as high-angle rope rescue, map and compass, GPS, search techniques, evidence search, and body recovery. By the end of the program, students become certified as first responders.
We also have an active chapter of Future Farmers of America (FFA), which prepares members for leadership and careers in the science, business and technology of agriculture. FFA members can be seen volunteering at many community events. Our FFA students often volunteer in the community, for example, running the local pumpkin patch every year.
Making school facilities available to all
In a town as small as ours, there aren’t all that many venues where large numbers of people can gather, especially if they need specialized facilities like sports fields or gymnasiums. As our Director of Buildings, Grounds & Maintenance Kyle Reams can tell you, if our students aren’t using our facilities, someone else is.
If you consider sports alone, we make our campuses available to Pop Warner Football & Cheer, Little League Baseball, Junior Giants Baseball, youth basketball, Special Olympics, youth and adult soccer leagues, volleyball tournaments for men and women, alumni games, and more. Kyle mentioned that even when games aren’t played on our campuses, practices are often held here.
We also make classrooms available for community meetings and activities and we open our campuses as evacuation shelters when the need arises. We see the value in supporting our community. So whether there’s a car show in our parking lot, a soccer tournament on our fields, or a Girl Scout or Boy Scout meeting on campus, we’re here to support it.
For some kids, our schools are their safe haven
In addition to being a place where kids learn to be good citizens and community members can gather, our schools also provide a safe haven for the students who do not have a good situation at home. We provide hot meals and warm classrooms in the winter. Our bus drivers welcome kids with a high five or a warm smile. Our teachers remind kids that they believe in them. Our counselors lend an ear and a shoulder to cry on. For some kids, school is the most positive thing in their life.
We want to be all we can for our students and for our community.
Dr. Nicki Thomas is superintendent of the Kelseyville Unified School District.
- Details
- Written by: NICKI THOMAS
Every year, as soon as summer vacation starts, our maintenance, custodial, secretarial and food service teams begin a rush against the clock to complete all essential facilities projects before students return in September.
This year, the team really outdid themselves. Big shout-out to our Maintenance & Operations Director Kyle Reams, who can stretch a dollar for miles and miles.
Kelseyville High School
At Kelseyville High School, we installed a new heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) system for the main administration building and replaced old Zinsco electrical panels. Back in the late 1960s and early ‘70s, Zinsco promised to revolutionize the industry with better breakers. Kelseyville Unified (and many, many others) installed Zinsco hardware, only to discover that it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. The company went under and we’ve been struggling to get replacement parts ever since. Now we have modern electrical panels that use standardized equipment — they’re more reliable and less expensive to service.
We also put new TPO roofs on the administration building, gym, and locker rooms. TPO is a popular single-ply roofing membrane for new low-slope roofing applications. This will mean the end of wintertime leaks when it rains.
Behind the high school, we created an access route that allows the maintenance team to reach propane tanks, mechanical equipment, and HVAC units year round. And if the need arises, emergency vehicles can also get back there. Before this upgrade, the road was inaccessible in winter.
Finally, we upgraded the condenser systems for the walk-in freezer and commercial refrigerator. Now, they are more energy efficient and far less likely to break down, saving the district money and creating a much happier kitchen staff.
High school stadium
The stadium project has been a long time coming, and it’s finally in motion. We began the demolition of the old bleachers, bathrooms, and storage in July. Now, we’re installing all the underground infrastructure required to support, supply or run our new facility. We’re adding a storm drain system to control erosion and running conduits for the electricity, data, fire alarm, water, sewer and storm drain tie-ins.
We're putting in a new entryway with a combination ticket booth and ADA-compliant snack bar with ADA-compliant walkways and crosswalks. We’re adding six bathrooms and a new grandstand bleacher system, too, with a large announcer’s booth and multiple rooms for game announcements, coaching during games, and rooftop deck for spotting for games, filming, and more.
And those who have sought parking in the past will be happy to know we are adding more parking behind the district office!
This is a huge project that will take the bulk of the year, so our home games will mostly be played in Lakeport. In June, we plan to hold middle school promotion and high school graduation ceremonies in our new stadium.
Mountain Vista Middle School
In order to complete the large projects at other KVUSD schools, we hosted most summer activities at MVMS, so the campus was only available for renovations for about three weeks. In that time, we replaced old, broken concrete sidewalks with safe ones in front of the school and gym. We also fixed the damage from an oak tree that fell on the library.
Kelseyville Elementary School
At KES, we reroofed the three main buildings with TPO, stripping them down to studs so we could install new insulation, venting, scuppers, drains, overflows, and roofing–the whole bit. We were also able to replace all the HVAC systems on those buildings with a wifi-controllable building management system we can monitor districtwide.
But we didn’t stop there. KES had those same frustrating Zinsco electrical panels, so we replaced them and were able to better balance the electrical load. When KES was built in the 1970s, no one could have predicted how much electricity schools would need in the 2020s. Through electrical balancing upgrades, everything runs more efficiently which is good for kids and their education–always our guiding star.
Riviera Elementary School
Built 30 years ago, the Riv, as we call Riviera Elementary School, is our most modern school. However, 30 years is a long time and many things have begun to wear out. We gutted every student restroom and installed new everything to create clean, functional restrooms. We also replaced the roofs on every single portable classroom with TPO to stop leaks.
In classrooms, we replaced ceiling TBAR panels and were able to have a contractor paint 90% of building interiors. Fresh paint not only looks great, it protects the material it covers.
Because the Riv hadn’t been substantially upgraded since 1995, we were required to install a new state-of-the-art fire system that now gives verbal commands rather than just a screeching bell. We also put in new heat and smoke detectors to keep kids and staff safer.
On school grounds, we replaced a lot of gravel with concrete, making it easier to get around everywhere from the student drop-off area and marquee all the way to the F and G buildings along the edge of the playground. It’s way better.
We also installed two shade structures at the new drop-off area where parents have more room to safely deliver their kids to school. (This has drastically sped up morning drop off.) Additionally, we installed more separation fencing between the parking lot and playground.
At the backside of the gym, we replaced a 40’ x 20’ roll door that Kyle called “a hot mess that was never installed right.” We removed it, repaired some dry rot, and put in a double door for easy access.
Finally, we replaced 90% of all drinking fountains, going from porcelain single-height fountains to stainless steel, ADA-compliant, double-height fountains. We were able to replace and rebuild quite a few leaky hydrants and spigots and repair the dry rot created by the leaks.
So much more to go
If you can believe it, this summary only hits the high points. I left out so many additional projects, and even with all this, we’ve barely scratched the surface. This was us sticking our finger in the dam to hold back a flood of problems. We probably have another $500,000 worth of concrete flatwork that needs to be replaced right now, and plenty of leaky roofs left to repair.
Many interior surfaces haven’t been changed since our schools were built. Imagine living in a house built in 1970 that had never been upgraded. Even if you took care of it, it wouldn’t serve you as well today as it would have served the original owners. Needs change over time. At the very least, you’d probably need more electrical outlets.
Schools are the same. Not only do we need to upgrade many of our schools, we are simply out of space. Our student enrollment continues to grow, but our schools are already at capacity. This is why we put Measure R on the ballot, a general obligation bond to fund essential repairs and renovations and build more classroom space. The State gives schools money to build structures but not to maintain them. That money must come from local public bond funds. If you’d like to learn more, visit kvusd.org/bond-measures/measure-r. We are calling Measure R our “Renovation Bond.”
Funny story
A couple of weeks ago, Kyle got a complaint about a burning smell and a lot of heat in one of our school libraries. He high-tailed it to the school, only to find out that the librarian wasn’t accustomed to the new HVAC system working so quickly and heating up the space so well. The smell was just a little dust on the new system that hadn’t burned off yet. We are lucky to have such a talented and committed maintenance team.
Dr. Nicki Thomas is superintendent of the Kelseyville Unified School District in Kelseyville, California.
- Details
- Written by: Bruno Sabatier
Highlands Mutual has shareholders while Clearlake has constituents. Whether the water system is a mutual, public or private enterprise, I personally don’t really care. In the long run, all of us want running reliable, affordable, potable water coming out our faucets when we turn them on. It is, however, set up similarly to a public entity where there are Board of Directors that make decisions for the water company on behalf of their shareholders. Board of Directors are elected through a vote of the shareholders. It is important that elections are done right and that the public is informed to make the best decision for the future of the agency that provides water services to its shareholders. However, elections should be free and fair to ensure the highest levels of integrity.
Free elections are important to ensure that all voices are given the recognition they deserve. Suppressing votes or making it difficult to register a vote should never be a part of our election processes. The integrity of our elections are of the utmost importance, therefore ensuring access and participation is paramount to holding that standard of integrity. The courts recently found that the list of shareholders that were eligible to vote was not the appropriate count. It turns out that shareholders who own property, but don’t have water service, still get to vote due to having the ability to vote for directors who may make changes that would entice them to make a water connection and get service. Capacity fees, water rates, and water quality are things that board of directors can prioritize which may bring in more customers, so I agree with the courts findings that those within the district even without water connections should be able to vote.
I’m not sure for how long the shareholder list has been incorrect. I want to give Highlands Mutual the benefit of the doubt that this was a new interpretation that they had never heard before. However, on their website (https://highlandswater.com/election-information) it states “Under Highlands’ Bylaws and a court order, only parcels within these boundaries are shareholders.”
The latest iteration of the bylaws, approved on Jan. 31, 2024, state in Article VI Section 2. Membership “any persons owning a lot or lots” in a described subdivision, or “any person or persons owning any parcel or parcels of land” within an unsubdivided portion. Has it always read this way, does this mean that shareholders’ ability to vote or even attend or speak at Highlands Mutual meetings have been historically suppressed? I’m glad that this has been brought to light by the courts, but I fail to understand why the discourse regarding this issue seems absent from this upcoming election? No Board of Directors has mentioned it, no apology to shareholders who were not given a voice in the past, just crickets.
Finally, fair elections means not providing barriers or benefits to candidates and treating them all the same with equity. On Highlands Mutual’s website there are links to https://keephighlandswater.com/. Within this site are a lot of attacks and jabs at the City of Clearlake, similar to the types of attacks and jabs seen on the city’s website and social media, but again that is for a later topic of discussion. There is also a “Vote by Proxy Now” button found on their page. This leads you to a webpage that solely suggests voting for a specific slate of candidates when they are not the only slate. Now this page on its own would not create election integrity issues had it not been for the link from Highlands Mutual web page. Having a link to this page/site from Highlands Water suppresses all other candidates that are running in this election. There is no integrity in this and does not provide a level playing field for all candidates, hence the election is not fair.
Imagine being a director of an agency and choosing your own Board of Directors. Imagine a city manager choosing their own city councilmembers. Those who shall be led by the board or council created through an election do not get to officially support certain candidates. This is highly unethical. I’ve seen it before and I don’t like it, and even more I can’t respect it.
Board of directors, just like city councilmembers, are meant to represent the people (shareholders) of the district they serve, not work for or with the administrative team of the agency they’ve been elected to. This does not mean that as private individuals they can’t provide support, but an agency itself linking to a page that only shows one slate of candidates who happen to represent the current Board of Directors is unethical and destroys the integrity of any election.
In contrast, here is the city of Clearlake’s election page where all candidates that registered for the election are listed and in alphabetical order to ensure that no one was prioritized over another in any biased way. There is no link to specific candidate pages to help ensure that the public sees the names the city wants you to see. That is how fair elections work.
I’m embarrassed to see how this process has been moving forward. Besides the conversations regarding water rates, water infrastructure and water quality, which is a completely different topic and an important one for the future of Clearlake, I’m embarrassed that the current Board of Directors and the current administration of Highlands Mutual is not embarrassed with me that their election is proving to not be free and fair for the points listed above. The silence is unfortunately louder than the words currently defending Highlands Mutual’s work in the community.
To all the shareholders of Highlands Mutual, please vote. Please have discussions with various people who are shareholders, city officials, with Highlands Mutual staff and Board of Director candidates. Get a better understanding of what you will be voting on so that the future of your water is secure. There are choices and you are free to make those choices, but know that this election, this process is marred with issues that degrade the integrity. Make your voices heard, make sure to read everything and learn as much as you can and please cast your vote on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at 16374 Main St., Lower Lake, CA 95457.
Please visit both sites to make your decision.
https://reformhighlandswater.com/
https://keephighlandswater.com/
Bruno Sabatier lives in Clearlake, California. He is the District 2 representative on the Lake County Board of Supervisors.
- Details
- Written by: David Claffey
The survey also solidified our concerns that water service in the city, particularly from Highlands Mutual Water Co., is holding us back.
The survey shows residents want growth, plain and simple. Our community has a clear priority on initiatives to enhance the overall quality of life including more housing, expanded medical facilities, and increased recreational opportunities such as gyms, fitness centers, and public pools.
They also want more retail shops and services to support their daily needs and the city’s economic development. But, to build a thriving Clearlake that truly meets these hopes and dreams, we must have reliable water service.
Before Clearlake was a city, it was carved up between three different water agencies, with many of our community’s commercial areas falling within Highlands’ service area. Unfortunately, Highlands’ deficient water system is not up to serving some current customers and has been halting growth and development opportunities for years.
Highlands' system fails in several critical areas: unreliable service, water quality problems, high costs, inadequate fire flows, and a lack of infrastructure investment. These issues don’t just inconvenience our residents — they actively hold Clearlake back. The inability to provide reliable water service discourages business development, stifles housing developments, and prevents the expansion of vital services.
A recent court ruling found that Highlands’ April election did not follow the law, requiring them to conduct a new election before Sept. 30.
Highlands currently plans a Sept. 12 cutoff date to vote for a new board although the announcement of a new election is flawed and does not provide all shareholders notice of the election as required by law; it will likely be necessary to go back to court because they are not following state law or their own bylaws which address their election requirements.
Unlike public agencies like Konocti County Water, Highlands isn't required to hold open meetings or be transparent about its finances. We're especially troubled by the relationships between board members and their family members, raising concerns that some decisions may prioritize personal gain over community service.
A fair election is a crucial opportunity to elect transparent, accountable leadership that are shareholders within Highlands’s boundaries and will prioritize the needs of residents over personal gain. However, Highlands is proposing the same board members who have overseen the company’s failures, which is a concerning prospect for our city’s future.
Our survey revealed that nearly four out of five residents believe that water agency board members should be elected by the people and two-thirds want transparent leadership. While this is required by public agencies like Konocti County Water, it isn’t at Highlands.
But, as part of a new election, we hope a new board at Highlands will ensure that those in charge are directly accountable to the community they serve, rather than operating in secrecy with little oversight.
Accountability is particularly crucial given the significant concerns about fire safety. Highlands’s system often cannot meet fire flow requirements, with a strong majority of Highlands customers expressing concern that Highlands can’t provide the water pressure needed for growth.
Highlands’s inadequate system jeopardizes public safety and stifles growth, including vital new businesses our community wants and needs. Clearlake’s future depends on a water system that meets fire codes and supports new development without compromising safety.
Another major concern is water quality. Highlands’ system frequently requires customers to boil water due to contamination issues. Unless there’s a major overhaul of infrastructure, these problems will only worsen over time.
Highlands also fails to apply for grant funding, leaving customers to shoulder the full financial burden. As a result, Highlands’ water rates are ranked in the worst category for affordability by the State Water Board, with rates that are, on average, $45 higher per month than those of Konocti County Water, a public agency.
A lack of transparency and accountability, combined with these high costs, makes it clear that a change in leadership is essential.
The upcoming election is a pivotal moment for Clearlake. We urge Highlands’s shareholders to vote for a new, transparent board of directors committed to securing grants, improving infrastructure, and maintaining transparency. Clearlake cannot afford to wait while its water service continues to deteriorate and hold our city back.
Clearlake is rising, with progress and promise evident in every corner of our community. But to fully realize our potential, we need the basics — like reliable water service — to be in place.
A new, accountable board is not just necessary — it is essential for the future prosperity of Clearlake and its residents.
David Claffey is the mayor of Clearlake, California.
