Sylvia M. Crowder
(707) 424-4352
DSN: 837-4352
sylvia.crowder.2@us.af.mil

 REGISTRATION FOR THE 2013-14 SCHOOL YEAR IS GOING ON NOW

Welcome to Travis Air Force Base, California!  I'm Sylvia Crowder, the base school liaison, and I'm your resource for education information for your school-aged children.  Please scroll through this webpage to find information, resources, and answers you need to make the best educational decisions for your children.  If you can't find what you're looking for, please call or email me and I'll be happy to help you out. 

Check out my School Liaison Facebook page for the latest K-12 school related happenings. I also list events and items that are of interest to parents and caregivers of school-aged children.  It's a community page, so you can "like" my page, and still keep your own Facebook page private.

PUBLIC SCHOOLS INFORMATION

There are three public school districts that serve the majority of Travis AFB K-12 students.  Public schools in our area offer Kindergarten through 12th grade instruction. Transitional Kindergarten (TK) is being offered at most school districts this school year.  Scroll down for the latest information on TK.  

Residing on Travis AFB?  Your school district is the Travis Unified School District (TUSD).  There are two elementary schools on base: Scandia elementary and Travis elementary. Which school your child will attend depends on where you reside on-base.   Golden West Middle School and Vanden High School are right outside the base and can be accessed through the Forbes pedestrian gate without driving off base.  The district also has two elementary schools in Vacaville (Foxboro and Cambridge) and one elementary school (Center elementary) adjacent to Travis AFB.

Residing in Vacaville?  Your school district is either the Vacaville Unified School District (VUSD) or TUSD, depending on where you live in Vacaville. Generally, if your home is on the north side of Alamo Drive, your children will attend VUSD schools.  Scroll down for the link to the districts boundaries map.  Vacaville USD has three high schools, two middle schools and ten elementary schools. 

Residing in Fairfield or Suisun City?  Your school district is the Fairfield/Suisun Unified School District (FSUSD). FSUSD has three high schools, five middle schools and several elementary schools. Please note, two small Fairfield neighborhoods right outside the base off Peabody Road are served by the Travis USD.

You may choose to live outside our three main school districts.  Here are links to the other school districts in Solano County and the surrounding area.  FYI:  Napa, Winters, and Davis school districts are NOT in Solano County.

       Dixon        Rio Vista        Benicia       Vallejo         Napa       Winters       Davis

PLEASE NOTE:  Active duty families who choose to live off-base OUTSIDE THE TRAVIS SCHOOL DISTRICT BOUNDARIES, you have the option to have your children attend school in the Travis Unified School District if there is space available.  Most school districts in Solano County and surrounding areas have agreed to release military connected children residing in their boundaries to attend TUSD schools, but interdistrict transfer paperwork must be completed.  Please call or email me for important information on interdistrict transfers. 

Active duty families who choose to reside off-base INSIDE the Travis School District boundaries must apply to have their elementary school-aged children attend on-base schools.  Automatic acceptance is NOT guaranteed, and your child may be put on an attendance waiting list.  If not accepted, your child will attend your off-base "home" school; either Cambridge, Foxboro, or Center elementary schools, depending on where you live within the district.

*** Kindergarten age requirements for the 2013 - 2014 school year -- Children entering Kindergarten must be five (5) years old on or before October 1, 2013.  A birth certificate must be presented when registering.

Transitional Kindergarten: Transitional Kindergarten will be offered for the upcoming school year (2013-2014).    Children who will turn 5 years old between Oct. 2, 2012 and Dec. 2, 2012 are eligible to enroll in TK. 

 For the 2013-2014 school year, The districts have not yet disclosed how many TK classes will be offered, or what schools will house TK classes.   Check the districts' websites for updates to Transitional Kindergarten programs, and I'll post updated information when I receive it.  To stay up-to-date on the status of TK in California schools, please visit the Pre-School California website.

Here is a link to the California Dept. of Education Transitional Kindergarten website. If your child is still too young for TK, Pre-School is offered at many private schools. 

USEFUL WEBSITES FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Here is the link to the Solano County school districts boundaries map.

Please visit greatschools.org or schoolquest.org to learn more about the area schools.

     Link to the latest School Accountability Progress Report (Public Schools Only)

     Link to the California Common Core Standards Parent Handbook

SPECIAL NEEDS/EFMP -- Elaine Daly-Rath is our EFMP coordinator and can best be contacted via email:  elaine.daly-rath.1@us.af.mil.  If you have a child or children enrolled in the EFMP, please visit www.travisspecialneeds.com for area resources and additional information.

PRIVATE SCHOOLS INFORMATION

 There are several private schools in our area; the majority are faith-based.  Private schools must register with the state. Travis AFB does NOT endorse any private school. 

 The private schools our military families most seem to prefer are Vacaville Christian Schools (pre-K -12th), Bethany Lutheran School (pre-K - 8th), and Notre Dame Catholic School (pre-K - 8th).  These three schools are located in Vacaville.  Another private school used by our military families is Solano Christian Academy, in Fairfield.  Again, listing the above schools does NOT imply endorsement from me or any Travis AFB agency. 

 There are other private school choices, and the California Department of Education releases an annual list of private schools that have at least six students.  The list is sorted by county.  Travis AFB is in Solano County.

Here is another informational link to private schools in our area.

HOME SCHOOLING INFORMATION

There is a new homeschool group on base for families who choose or wish to home school their children.  This group is open to ALL Travis AFB homeschool families.  The group meets on the 3rd Friday of the month (through July 2013) at the Balfour Beatty Community Center on base.  E-mail Travis_AFB_HSG@yahoogroups.com to get access to the event calendar.  There is also a Facebook page.

CALIFORNIA LAW REGARDING HOME SCHOOLING:  California compulsory school attendance age requirements are between the ages of 6 (by Oct. 1st) and under 18 years of age, unless a high school diploma or GED has been earned. 

Parents who want to home school in California have four (4) options:

Option 1:  The individual home school qualifies as a private school by filing an annual private school affidavit with the Superintendent of Public Instruction between Oct 1 and Oct 15 of each school year.  There are no formal teacher qualifications under this option.

Option 2:  Home school students enroll in a private school satellite program and "homeschool" through that private school.  The private school "satellite school program" (PSP) must comply with CA Education Code.  There are no formal teacher qualifications under this option.

Option 3:  The home school could have instruction provided by a certified private tutor.  Teacher certification is necessary only if the home school parent chooses to qualify as a private tutor.

Option 4:  The student(s) is enrolled in an independent study program at home, using the public school curriculum.  Under this option, the student is considered a public school student and has to abide by the rules and policy of the public school district.

The California Department of Education has a link to frequently asked questions regarding home schooling.  Click on "Schooling at Home" at the top of the page.

Two popular on-line resources for home schooling in California are HSLDA.org and Californiahomeschool.net.