Good Morning AOC Community,
I am reaching out with urgent news and an important request for your help. This email is a call to action to ensure and secure the future of the Academy of the Canyons (AOC) and the opportunities we provide our students.
In this email written here, I share a letter that I ask each of you to send to specific email addresses—primarily those of our local politicians. You will have the option to personalize the letter, but its primary purpose is to urge them to reinstate our grant funding for the next 50 years.
Due to recent budget cuts from our governor, the grant funding that supports middle colleges across California is set to expire in 2027. This funding, amounting to $130,000 annually, is critical to AOC’s basic operational costs including salaries. Without it, these costs would fall to the local school district and community college. This shift introduces uncertainty, as future leadership decisions could jeopardize our financial stability and the unique opportunities our school offers.
As the highest-performing school in the district and with students who excel on the college campus, losing this funding would be devastating. Unfortunately, despite over 20 attempts by the College of the Canyons executive leadership team and myself, as your principal, to seek clarification and engage in dialogue with the California Department of Education, local politicians, and the Chancellor’s office, we have received no response.
This lack of communication is not only unethical but also deeply concerning for the long-term sustainability of our school.
Here’s where I need your support:
- Review the prepared letter, and please take a moment to personalize it and send it to the listed email addresses.
- Sign with your name, title, or role (e.g., parent, student, staff member), and feel free to share a personal story about AOC’s impact.
- Even more powerful, create a one-minute video to ask them to reinstate our grant funding. Keep it to one or two minutes in length and include it in the letter. Use a YouTube link if possible and also send me your video. Having our students' voices are MOST impactful.
- Reach out to alumni and please ask them for support as well.
- In the Advisement and Freshman Seminar, we will have students write letters and email them to the Senators. If you and your family want to create a video, this is even more powerful to send.
By amplifying our voices, we can compel policy and decision-makers to acknowledge the importance of our program and school and take action to secure its future. This effort is critical to preserving the extraordinary opportunities AOC provides to students now and in the years to come.
Let’s work together to ensure our school’s continued success. Your participation is vital. Thank you for standing with me in this effort. I will have a Town Hall meeting to explain the situation over Google Meet next week in case you have any questions. Please check the Acorn for dates.
Warm regards,
Dr. Juliet Fine
Principal
Academy of the Canyons
