There's a growing national spotlight on the new Twin Rivers Unified School District.
The district, created July 1 when four districts merged in northern Sacramento County, is the subject of an interactive documentary project chronicling the Twin Rivers journey.
The project will feature articles, documents, podcasts, Internet seminars and an interactive blog that together will illustrate the formation of the district and its effect on schools and the community.
The first article, "The Long Road to Unification," appears in the September 2008 issue of the American School Board Journal. The journal has joined with the National School Boards Association's National Affiliate program in the effort. The affiliate's Web site already is filling with audio interviews and histories pertaining to Twin Rivers, as well as other resources.
"We have this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reinvent the north area school system," Twin Rivers Superintendent Frank Porter said. "It's gratifying to know there is interest nationally in what we are doing."
The National Affiliate program advocates on behalf of local school districts from across the country, said Gene Broderson, who heads affiliate services and technology programs for the National School Boards Association in Alexandria, Va.
Unification, he said, is a hot topic in many states. The Twin Rivers experience will provide a road map for other districts attempting unification.
"This is a good case study. It is very timely," Broderson said. "The goal is to provide tools and resources other districts can use."
Forming Twin Rivers was a long and politically difficult process. The project, he said, has sought to include a range of voices, including board members from the former districts that merged and community leaders such as James Shelby, president of the Greater Sacramento Urban League.
"We want to make sure everybody's voice is heard," Broderson said.
The project is already generating interest, said Trinette Marquis, communications director for Twin Rivers. Recently, she said, she received inquiries from Southern California and Utah about the Twin Rivers experience.
Call The Bee's Deb Kollars, (916) 321-1090.
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