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Bill Cirone: Stories of Transformation
El Puente means “the bridge,” and the El Puente schools strive to live up to that name every day as young people facing sometimes unimaginable challenges find the support to bridge the divide between that troubled life and a more positive future, rife with possibilities.
Take “Eric.” His mother, a single mom, had Eric and his sister when she was very young, and raised them while struggling with addiction. Because the children were often left alone, the grandmother stepped in to help and was often the only caregiver.
Their home together was a very small dwelling, and money was extremely tight. As a result of the lack of supervision and structure at home, both brother and sister were frequently truant from school. The sister became a single mom herself at age 15, and school was simply not a priority for either sibling.
Then further tragedy struck. The mom was murdered out of state. Eric was devastated, and seeing his sister struggle with the baby made things even more difficult. He became depressed and truancy became an even more serious issue.
When Eric came to El Puente, with long, dark hair, and sadness draped around him, the staff immediately recognized that he was an extremely bright and capable young man, facing many demons. He tested extremely well — phenomenally so.
A determined teacher, one of the very many who work at El Puente schools countywide, really turned Eric around. She discovered he was an exceptional writer and worked with him in all the academic areas. She saw he needed a great deal of counseling for his depression, and recognized that with his need to work to support his sister and her baby, a program of independent study was required.
On graduation day, he showed up with hair cut short and a wide smile, ready to become a full adult. His mother’s entire family and his grandmother all came to the ceremony, honoring the first person in the family to graduate from high school.
Eric received an achievement award at graduation and a scholarship from the Santa Barbara Foundation. He is now attending Santa Barbara City College, working part-time, and still staying in touch with the teacher who helped transform him in so many ways.
This is just one of the stories that unfolds every day at El Puente, the bridge.
Bill Cirone is Santa Barbara County’s superintendent of schools.
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» on 01.25.09 @ 09:06 AM
Most of the boys at El Puente will spend some time in prison. El Puente is a windowless classroom. Even with the best intentions and noble efforts from staff, the students needs are not met. Their is no auto shop, no carpentry, and no trade skills programs.
Trying to force unwanted academics on these kids is not working.
When they are released from El Puente they have no means for earning a good living. Thus they revert to selling drugs and getting into trouble. Many students end up at El Puente because they simply don’t fit in the purely academic world of public high schools with all the political mandates for math, reading, and writing.
Students should be learning something they like and want at a trade school which will make a positive difference in their lives. Currently the El Puente students sit at desks for most of the day, learning to sit and keep up on minimal academics to avoid more negative consequences.
Mentally, the prison system is not that different.
What we need from our administrators is leadership. We need a superintendent who stands up to this current dysfunctional system.
Bill Cirone, I challenge you to create a trade school where 80% of the day is spent learning a skill that can earn these boys a decent salary. Rather than writing P.R. pieces for a broken system and a school that needs to be closed, try telling the truth and creating a system that actually meets the needs of our different students. That would be real leadership.
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» on 01.25.09 @ 01:36 PM
This story shows that a single person can make a difference in a young person’s life. Now, as Eric proceeds to college, he will need to be guided in using his intellect in the best way possible - implementing what he wants to do, to become, and remain, a productive individual and a person that he is proud of.
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» on 01.25.09 @ 05:44 PM
El Puente is a “bridge to nowhere—-or worse.”
Why weren’t Eric’s socio-economic and emotional needs, his depression, challenges and intellectual gifts discovered within the regular school setting?
Why did he have to go through the entire (googleable)School to Prison Pipeline—-hauled into meetings, juvenile court, Student Attendance Review Board (SARB), expelled, put on probation, frisked upon entering school—-before he found any compassion or positive regard?
All students have reasons for truancy—-it is your responsibility to find out why they are truant and failing school.
But, we see, you have to fill those classroom seats in El Puente and La Cuesta.
School corruption exposure—-it’s gonna be big.
Every graduating El Puente student writes his story—-out of dozens, I didn’t read one with appreciation for the truancy or expulsion process. El Puente lacks 100% of the classes, electives, activities, assemblies, sports, clubs, field trips, after-school programs, friends—-everything that the regular school provides.
That you are proud of your toxic waste site “jail school,” formerly owned by the notorious Bill Levy, refurbished by the tax-payer without a property-improvement tax increase, sub-leased by a middleman who still skims from the top, and you collect twice the ADA for these victims is so sick, Bill Cirone.
THERE IS A SCHOOL-POLITICO-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX AND IT HAS MADE-OFF WITH OUR PUBLIC FUNDS AND TRUST.
http://www.familyrightsassociation.com/ details the gerstapo tactics of the schools’ partner in crime, Child Protective Services.
Get this, Bill Cirone: Your illegal and unethical programs, policies, and practices have damaged and destroyed our children and families and The People are rising to overthrow your regime.
There are many more El Puente stories on http://www.sbschooltalk.com/forum/media
(Dear Editor: I submitted this three times; is there a problem?)
[Editor’s note: I wasn’t sure if it was spam. You’ve removed all doubt.]
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