Early Chance to Hear Council and School Board Candidates

Update:  The November 29th forum has been cancelled.  See article.

Piedmont Civic Association (PCA) will host a public forum for City Council and Board of Education candidates to introduce themselves to Piedmont voters.

The Forum will be held on Tuesday, November 29, in the Piedmont City Council Chambers, from 7 to 9 p.m.  > Click to read more…

The following announcement was sent to PCA on November 2, 2011:

Whenever I am asked where I live and I say Piedmont, the response is always along the lines of “oh yes, good schools”. Some communities are defined by their location, or their landmarks, or even their restaurants, but Piedmont is defined in its most essential and enduring sense by its schools– by the children who attend them, by the teachers who instill in these children a love of learning, by the parents who contribute their time and resources to make the classroom experience extraordinary, and by the Piedmont community that supports these schools. In a small town like Piedmont, our schools are the heart of the community.

Before Piedmont, my perspectives and capabilities were crafted through a childhood outside New York City and while securing a degree in Humanities from Barnard College at Columbia University.  After Barnard, I spent 15 years in the foreign exchange and fixed income areas of Bank of America and Lehman Brothers, experiences that helped develop a structured and analytical way of thinking along with the interpersonal skills required to deal with the complex, and frequently competing needs of traders, sellers and customers.

· For the past 15 years I have been a volunteer in our Piedmont schools. I have worked along many many talented parent and community volunteers, and understand how important this culture of volunteerism is to the strength of our schools. As a fundraiser, I also understand how critical our fundraising dollars are to our  schools. We would not be able to offer the rich educational experience that we do without the financial support from the Piedmont parents and the Piedmont community through their donations, and even more importantly, through the School Parcel Tax.

I am proud to be part of a Piedmont community that values education, that values our teachers, and wants to assure that they are fairly paid, that values offering our students an educational experience that prepares them to be strong members of our society and, frequently, allows them to get into the finest colleges and universities in this country. In these difficult budget times we have to work even harder to assure this educational experience. We need to think about new ways to deliver a quality education and be creative about doing more with less. We need to be strategic about positioning our Piedmont schools not just for the next few years,  but for the next 10-20 years. We have some difficult decisions.  How do we better integrate technology into the classroom? How do we adequately develop, access, and retain great teachers?  How do we teach our students to become better communicators?  Tough times are actually an opportunity to think about what is really important and how we can best position ourselves for the future. I hope to be part of that conversation and thank you for your support over the past 15 years and in the future.

Andrea Swenson

The following announcement was received by PCA on November 1 from Jon Elliott –

After 10 years volunteering in and for our schools, I’m running for School Board. I need your support.

The District does a great job for our children, especially considering its budget pressures. As a District volunteer, I have worked for the past decade to ensure that our schools are the best they can be.  I’ve helped in classrooms, reviewed academic initiatives, and led oversight of tax programs.  I can do so more directly and extensively if you entrust me with a seat on the Board.

My Priorities for School Board

The Board and District staff are partners.  The Board sets broad goals and policies, while District staff executes the educational programs.  Together they review ongoing activities and find ways to enhance opportunities for our children.  When money’s tight – and that
has become a given for every public school district – the Board must make careful trade-offs and find ways to adapt programs to changing conditions and expectations.  When this succeeds, academic excellence and financial rigor can co-exist.

• Ongoing analysis of budgets and programs.  The District’s budget and program are constantly moving targets, which require frequent reassessment.  Board members review staff analyses and recommendations with fresh eyes, question assumptions, and evaluate
outcomes.  This has been my approach working with the District.  As a School Board member I would continue to advocate for our children, applying my technical training (law, public policy and engineering) and 30 years of experience with public agencies to keep our schools as strong as possible.

• Timely and meaningful public information, participation and input.  We all deserve timely access to understandable information, and the opportunity to engage with the District on matters we care about.  The District has made great strides to inform and engage the community, and I’ll continue to work to enhance open processes.  Individual
community members often know a lot about specific issues, and our schools benefit when we access this expertise and energy.  I especially want to reach parents of younger children who are not yet engaged, and households without children in District schools who may feel out of the loop and may want to contribute more than just their taxes.

I’ve spent ten years of hands-on involvement with our schools, actively supporting open process, rigorous analysis and evaluation, and a rich innovative curriculum.  I believe I bring both deep understanding of issues and new perspectives to the School Board, and would welcome the challenge of serving.  Thank you for considering my ideas.  I hope
you will share yours with me.

Volunteer Experience in and for Piedmont Schools

I started volunteering the way many parents do: helping in classrooms and driving carpools for field trips when my children began at Havens.  I still drive carpools and volunteer for my kids’ teams and activities, and have also participated in

• Havens science and math support – Science Fairs and Family Science Nights, introduction of recycling and “green” activities; in-class support for Math Enrichment

• PMS Site Council (including as parent co-chair) and PHS Site Council – worked on a wide range of academic and school community issues, including Single Plans for Student Achievement (annual goal-setting and evaluation), Emergency Plans, and supporting students in effective transition from elementary school to middle school to high school.

• District-wide Curriculum Reviews of K-12 Math and English Language Arts, supporting data-driven program reviews and enhancements.

• District Gifted and Talented Education Advisory Council – helping to ensure that programs to meet high-performing students’ needs are integral parts of broad-based, District-wide programs to ensure that every student receives an appropriate and personal educational focus.  I am also a founding board member of the independent group Piedmont Gifted Parents Support, which advocates strengthening differentiated education for all our students.

• Citizens’ Advisory Committee to the Parcel Tax Program Measures B & E – As chair, I’ve coordinated annual review of District finances and budgeting, preparing recommendations for levy of the Parcel Taxes; in the first year we also conducted targeted reviews of several important expense categories at the School Board’s request.

In addition, I’ve helped District staff draft program documents, revisions to Board policy documents, and information for the District website – including policies addressing discrimination and harassment.  I worked with the Assistant Principal and other parents to revise and update the PHS Parent and Student Handbook.  I’ve participated actively
in the Shaping Our Future process in 2009-10 and the current Western Association of Schools and Colleges re-accreditation process at PHS.

510.735.1078   Elliott4Schools@aol.com
Elliott for School Board 2012

City Goes Public on Suit Against Engineers – 

Following direction from the City Council at its September 19th meeting, the following documents have been posted related to the civil suit against the engineers for the Piedmont Hills Underground Assessment District: > Click to read more…

Experts Discuss Best Practices On Decision-Making – 

The Piedmont League of Women Voters will host a community-building panel discussion on “Civic Engagement” on Thursday, November 17, at City Hall Council Chambers from 7 to 9 pm. > Click to read more…

Date Set For Public Meeting on Proposed Sports Field – 

The Piedmont City Council has announced it will hold a public hearing on the Moraga Canyon Sports Fields Project at its regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, December 5, 2011 at 7:30 pm in the City Council Chambers.

> Click to read more…

City’s Goal  To Streamline Ordinance – 

Among other issues, the Piedmont Planning Commission will consider possible changes to the City’s second unit ordinance at its November 14 meeting, which starts at 5:00 p.m. in City Hall.  The full agenda will be posted on the City’s website  by Friday, November 11. > Click to read more…

Big Changes at MacArthur BART Parking Lot

Piedmonters who drive to the MacArthur BART station for their weekday commute can expect to encounter blocked entrances and a reduced parking lot size, although parking capacity will not decrease.  For the next three months or longer, up to 60% of the parking lot will be closed for the construction of a parking garage.  There will be no access from MacArthur Boulevard or Telegraph Avenue via Apgar Street.  Soon, the only access will be from eastbound 40th Street. 

In order to accommodate the same number of cars in the shrinking lot, only the north end near 40th street will remain self-park.  South of that, BART introduced weekday assisted parking* from 7am to 10pm.   > Click to read more…