I was thrilled to read about the recent announcement of a new school site acquisition in Sutter Creek by the Gold Rush Ranch and Golf Resort (Sept. 30, "Gold Rush could provide school site"). We've always had many terrific teachers in Sutter Creek, and many involved parents. We've worked to provide our kids with the best possible educational and social experience possible. However, I've always known that, as a small rural district with extremely limited resources and aged, substandard facilities, there was only so much we could offer our kids.
I think it's so smart to plan our growth with a development like Gold Rush so enough revenue is created to make new state of the art school facilities a reality. How exciting that if the school district can follow through on plans to make a K-8 campus on this property, our junior high kids could stay in Sutter Creek instead of having to endure the twice-daily commute to Ione! Grass playing fields instead of sloping asphalt, a multi-purpose sport gymnasium and bright new buildings our kids can take pride in - all possibilities I can easily see happen with this new school site opportunity. In addition, with this new school, couldn't our high school then expand into the current upper elementary and possibly add a new gym and a new performance art theater?
I want to say thanks for all the hard work that obviously went into this by Chuck Anderson and the school board. And big thanks to the Gold Rush partners, Bill Bunce and Troy Claveran, for going above and beyond their legal minimum to give us an opportunity to improve our kids' future. I hope all of us parents will help make the dream for a new Sutter Creek school come true and support the Gold Rush project. Our kids need us to speak for them.