Filling in the Gaps

“Sometimes when you have a problem, you need to try to be creative and come up with a solution on your own.”

Esterlee Molyneux, Mom of two Sunrise Elementary students

Without district bus, parents buy their own

What Happens on the Bus
Shiny yellow buses signal the beginning of the school day for kids all around the country, but if it weren’t for the quick thinking of some parents in Smithfield, Utah (population 9,535), their elementary school kids would’ve been left afoot. After the school district redrew boundary lines this year, the families found themselves just inside their school’s 1.5-mile “no busing zone.” Walking a mile and a half wasn’t an option for the young students, so instead of filling the streets with carpooling mini-vans and Suburbans, two of the dads bought a school bus of their own. Now, 82 kids ride the bus. Parents pony up $206 each year (comes out to 57 cents per trip), which covers the cost of the bus, insurance, maintenance, and a part-time driver. These kids are on the move, thanks to their forward-thinking folks.
Read the Article ® Without district bus, parents buy their own

And the Beat Goes on
Music is struggling to stay alive in schools operating under razor thin budgets—the news is filled with stories of music programs falling under the ax. But when the music and fine arts program was cut in Lakeville, Minnesota (population about 50,000), one mom saw it as her chance to live a dream, and help students do the same. Joy Afdahl opened a fine arts academy, staffed with many of the teachers who lost their jobs, and offers after-school classes in music, drama, and art. She knows the academy can’t replace the experience of in-school programs, but she’s doing what she can to keep the joy of music alive.
Read the Article ® New fine arts academy opens in Lakeville, looking to fill void left by school cuts

Multitasking on a Tight Budget

“We’re a small town and we need to circle the wagons.”

Jill Sprenkel, Byron, California School Board Member

Byron schools rally around students

Schools Bridge the Gap for Families in Need

The farming town of Byron, California is a poor community, and its 1,000 residents were particularly hard hit in the recession when many of its families that once had two incomes now have none. The school district has stepped up with its “Bridge” program and provides help ranging from tutoring and grocery shopping to assistance with applying for Food Stamps and moving when the family home is lost. The program runs on grants, donations, and volunteers but occasionally has to squeeze funds from the school budget.

Read the Article ® Byron schools rally around students

Town Hall Does Double Duty

The post office in Rockville, Utah has always been the hub of activity for the town’s 245 citizens, but its new, expanded digs now house the city offices as well. Not only do the townsfolk have a new place to hang out, but the town clerk  gets her house back—that’s where the city offices have been up until now. Read the article to see how the town built its new facilities without raising taxes.

Read the Article ® New town hall continues the tradition

Hardworking Hometowners

“We cost less than the East and West Coast,

and we’re easier to deal with than India.”

Mary Lacity, Professor at the University of Missouri, St. Louis

“Rural Outsourcers” Vie for Offshoring Dollars

Help Wanted: Rural Outsourcing

Companies wanting to cut costs but keep jobs close to home are looking at small towns and rural areas as an alternative to offshore outsourcing. There are no hard figures, but one expert estimates rural outsourcing comes out to about $100 million a year in small town America.

Read the Article ® “Rural Outsourcers” Vie for Offshoring Dollars

Small Towns, Long Hours

Online workers from small towns are logging long hours. A recent study finds that small towns match big cities in the number of online workers per capita, but those workers put in longer hours. Folks in Kanab, Utah as well as Wagoner and Newalla, Oklahoma (populations below 15,000) each worked 175 hours in January, compared to cityfolk in San Francisco (54 hours) and Los Angeles (23 hours).  Even New York City (70 hours) couldn't keep up with small town workers.

Read the Article ® Small Towns, Long Hours for Online Temps

Tis’ the Time to Go Green

“Why not do something with green Jell-O instead of green beer?”

Larry McKown, Owner of Flanigan’s Inn

Jello-O contest an annual event

Two Guys and a Small Town Go Green

Huffington Post · After the DHL shipping hub in [Wilmington, Ohio] announced it would be closing in 2008, leading to the loss of over 9,000 jobs in a community of only 12,000 people, Mark Rembert and Taylor Stuckert knew they had to do something to help their hometown make it through the prospect of tough economic times. . . . Using grants for green initiatives, they met with local government officials to institutionalize green development and establish a green enterprise zone in Clinton County, obtaining $1.3 million in stimulus funding for three renewable energy projects.

Read More ® “Energizing Clinton County” restores jobs in small-town America

Green Jell-O Is the “Inn” Thing

Deseret News · Just when you think you’ve heard of everything possible to do with a box of green Jell-O, along comes Larry McKown and his kooky annual ritual. This Saturday will be the 26th time that the [Flanigan’s Inn] owner has helped stage a green Jell-O sculpting contest in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, the arrival of spring and the official beginning of tourist season in what is arguably Utah’s prettiest small town [Springdale].

Read More ® Jello-O contest an annual event