Kids Displaced by L.A. Fires Welcomed by Santa Barbara Schools

Schools Begin to See Small Spike in Enrollment as Families Seek Shelter or Permanent Residence on South Coast

By Callie Fausey Fri Jan 17, 2025 | 09:03pm

Thousands of Los Angeles County families have been forced to flee their homes as fires whip through their neighborhoods, destroying more than 12,000 homes, schools, and other structures.

Santa Barbara has welcomed these families with open arms. Now, schools are beginning to see a small spike in enrollment coinciding with the number of families seeking temporary shelter — or permanent residence — on the South Coast.

Schools in wealthier neighborhoods, and near popular hotels, are absorbing the most students.

Montecito Union School District has seen the highest enrollment. As of Tuesday, they will have a total of 18 new students, with 20 additional students either in the process of enrolling or inquiring about enrolling.

“The students and families are lovely,” said Montecito Union Superintendent Anthony Ranii. “Each family’s story is different, but all have been deeply affected by the recent fires.”

Ranii said they’re fortunate to have staff “who all know something about working through tough times, as most of us went through the Thomas Fire and 1/9 Debris Flow.”

Some families have lost their homes, while others’ homes are still standing but surrounded by burnt areas without power, he said. For some, their schools burnt down or closed indefinitely.

Some families knew one another from their previous school, and reunited at Montecito Union.

“The love and care that our teachers are showing as they welcome these newcomers brings tears to my eyes,” Ranii said.

Around the South Coast, other schools are accepting newcomers of their own.

Hope Elementary School District has one student enrolled so far and two families inquiring. Santa Barbara Unified has two students enrolled.

And Cold Spring Elementary School District has two new students starting on Tuesday and several other families still gathering information, all from the Pacific Palisades and Pasadena.

Cold Spring, along with Peabody Charter School, also partnered with local organizations to host day camps with fun activities and trauma counseling for children and families impacted by the fires this past week.

Cold Spring held three camps with 75 families in attendance, and Peabody took in an extra 40 families who were on the waitlist.

“The entire Peabody staff really stepped up to make this camp happen on very short notice,” said Peabody Superintendent Demian Barnett. “Our community also stepped up in a big way.”

Barnett said they put out a call for specific items like socks, pajamas, toiletries, and more, and within hours they had enough supplies for every family to get what they needed.

“You probably couldn’t have bought a pair of socks within a five-mile radius of Peabody School, as Peabody’s parents had bought them all to donate to needy families,” he said. “It was amazing.”

Peabody has enrolled one family so far, and they expect more in the coming weeks, he added. “Peabody is the largest elementary in Santa Barbara and, therefore, very full. Still, we hope to be able to support any displaced families who move into our attendance area if we can.”

Families displaced by disasters are protected by the McKinney-Vento Act, which requires school districts to provide homeless students with the same public education as other students who reside in the district or school boundary area, according to the Santa Barbara County Education Office.

In other words, families may immediately enroll their children in local public schools where they are temporarily housed (e.g., hotels, shelters, friends/family), without the usual hurdles.

However, unlike other school districts, South Coast schools are community-funded or basic aid districts, meaning they don’t get more money per student. While some schools said that they might face budgetary restraints, or issues with class size, with the increase in enrollment, not one said it would stop them from accommodating families to the best of their ability.

“While there are some challenges to welcoming new families mid-year,” said Ranii, “the biggest effect we have seen is the enrichment of our school community as we welcome some amazing new students and families.”