His job is helping small California school districts with their unique needs [edsoure.org]

^{Tim Taylor, executive director of the Small School Districts Association. Credit: Jay-ar Ignacio}

By Cara Nixon, EdSource, July 31, 2023

The Covid-19 pandemic, wildfires, floods — California’s schools have faced it all over the past few years, with rural communities, due to their remote locations, higher rates of poverty and limited access to resources, often facing the brunt of it.

Tim Taylor’s role as the executive director of the Small School Districts’ Association has been largely defined by these events. The SSDA works to address the unique needs of small school districts, most in rural areas, with an average daily attendance of 2,500. Formed in 1983, the SSDA began with 23 districts and now represents 538 — two-thirds of the state’s small districts and more than half of all districts. It also counts as members 38 of the 58 county offices of education.

Prior to taking on the position in 2019, Taylor served as superintendent of Butte County Schools. He remembers sitting in his home during the 2018 Camp fire — the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in the state’s history — and feeling helpless to assist his community.

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