Good evening

Despite excellent speakers in favor of saving Pocahontas, including Roy Palmore (President of the Class of 1966) and Benita Mayo (descendant of the first teachers at the school), the school board members were unmoved. Even with an awareness of a petition that has grown beyond 700 signatures, they opted to continue as planned-- rejecting the Board of Supervisors' offer to take ownership of the Pocahontas complex, and deciding instead to proceed with their plans for demolition of the buildings apart from the original structure (which is protected). There is currently no timetable for this to occur, and there is not yet a response from the Board of Supervisors. At last check, the school board was awaiting a demolition permit, and there is no word on when that might arrive. 

We should not give up.

Please expect more information in the next few days on how we might continue to press for the right things to happen. In the interim, a word about your donations. According to change.org, 90 signers have contributed money in support of the petition. To clarify, the petition creators are not asking for any money. There is no fundraiser associated with saving the buildings. Instead, change.org asks for money to support the platform's efforts to "advertise" the petition to individuals they believe are likely to sign it. So far, a little more than $2,000 has been collected, translating into about 26,000 views of the petition (in emails and other promotions being sent by change.org) and 110 signatures directly from that effort, so far.

As we proceed, there is a chance that you will be asked if you're willing to contribute money or at least, whether you would be willing to pledge financial support should it become necessary. But that time is not now. For now, we need to continue to share, share, share about this petition so that we can continue collecting signatures. Apparently, 700 signatures and growing is insufficient for at least one school board member to believe that anyone cares about saving these buildings. She said she doesn't think people are too bothered by the notion of demolition. Now is the time for your response. If you do care, please share. 

Thank you.