Richard DuVarney, the newly appointed state administrator for Plumas Unified School District, attended his first school board meeting Oct. 15 in Chester. Andrea White, the interim county administrator and Plumas County Office of Education superintendent, introduced and officially welcomed DuVarney, who started the job Oct 6.
“Rich brings a wealth of experience and strong leadership that will be an asset to our district,” White said. “We are looking forward to working with him and moving forward with all the work we need to do in our district.”
School board members Cindy Crim, Chelsea Harrison and JoDee Johnson were present for the combined board meetings. They joined DuVarney on the dais for the PCOE section and sat in the audience for the PUSD portion. DuVarney is the sole decision maker for PUSD; the board members are advisory members. Board member Joleen Cline was absent. The District 5 seat is vacant pending the results of the Nov. 4 election.
DuVarney’s employment contract was among the items of business on the PUSD agenda. It was approved by White with concurrence from California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and Linda Darling-Hammond, president of the State Board of Education. The three-year contract begins Oct. 6 and ends June 30, 2028, with the option to extend by mutual agreement. DuVarney’s annual base salary is $285,000 per year payable in 12 equal monthly payments.
After the contract was approved, White handed the board meeting over to DuVarney.
“It is an honor to be chosen for this position,” DuVarney said. He remarked that he’s visited all the schools under his jurisdiction, met the administration and attended staff meetings, which “have been good,” he added.
“Going forward, I am optimistic about this school district. … Andrea turned the ship around in the right direction and we are on a good path going forward,” DuVarney said. “I am thankful to be here. I love seeing the support for the district, students and parents.”
Shatto provides financial update
Interim Chief Business Official Stephanie Shatto gave a district cash flow report and went over the unaudited actuals for both PCOE and PUSD. She spoke twice, as the two are now handled separately. The PCOE unaudited actuals report shows continued financial stability, with the office continuing to maintain required reserves and operate within a balanced budget, according to Shatto’s written narrative.
For PUSD, the story was different. The district remains under state receivership and the fiscal oversight of the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team, Shatto’s report stated. The district’s cash flow has not changed meaningfully since the $8.5 million loan was added to the coffers in September. PUSD now has sustaining cash flow until the end of September 2026, said Shatto. A deficit of $9.5 million remains. Administrators and staff are working on a recovery plan. The first interim report, expected in December, will outline the next steps in fiscal recovery, she added.
Stuart Clark, vice president of the Plumas California Teachers Association, said, “We are a family that has gone through a lot of pain that was not our fault. We have a great culture and are growing. We are still having problems with process in regular pay, placement and extra-duty staff complaints. We can’t have these problems. Let’s fix it.”
| Official fund balance for the 2024-2025 fiscal year | |
| Unrestricted | $1.1 million |
| Restricted | $5.9 million |
| Total | $7.1 million |
Presenting the unaudited actual reports is the final step in closing the books for the 2024-2025 school year, Shatto said. They were due to the California Department of Education by Oct. 15. “We have been cleaning up what happened in 2024-2025 to move forward in 2025-2026 with confidence in what our starting balance will be.”
Chester students and teachers honored
Scott Cory, Chester Elementary School principal, presented the Principal’s Recognition Award to Travis Roelofson, a sixth grader in teacher Susan Tantardino’s class. His parents are Richard and Shanna Roelofson. Travis was praised for his kindness, sense of humor, responsibility and positive attitude. He is noted for being a role model who works well with classmates, adds to class discussions and helps others.
Meghan Orange, Chester Junior-Senior High School principal, honored Maddisynlee Miller, tenth grader. Her parents are Tanya and Shaun Miller. Maddisynlee was praised for her kindness and joy in everything she does, helping others, her remarkable work ethic and her attention to detail. She is also noted for being motivated, challenging herself and being a natural leader and role model who has a genuine zest for life.
The Chester High Teacher Feature section showcased teacher Ty Watkins. Watkins has taught for 34 years, with the last five at Chester High. He told of his work on raising school spirit at Chester High by promoting positivity and a week of gratitude. He helped get shirts printed featuring Volcano, the school mascot, that said “Dude Be Nice!” This is a popular way to stop bullying, he said. He is a coach for both the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams and is the associated student body advisor. Watkins teaches four advanced placement classes and helps grade the AP exams in history. He also has the students place flags for the 9/11 fallen each year in front of the school.
