– Piedmont High School student Sophia Mills reports on Piedmont Education Foundation grant, Piedmont Unified School District financial issues, Measure A Tax increase, and interviews three School Board members.-

On April 22 at 7:00 p.m., the School Board, responsible for the Piedmont Unified School District, met for one of their biweekly regular meetings.  On the second and fourth Wednesday of each month, this board of individuals meets in the Council Chambers of Piedmont’s City Hall in order to both assess the current state of the schools in Piedmont and to ensure that they are performing and running to the fullest of their ability.  At this particular meeting, the most important agenda items consisted of discussing the Piedmont Educational Foundation (PEF) Endowment Fund for 2015-16, approving a Request for Proposal (RFP) for Facilities Master Planning services, and deciding the amount of the School Support Tax, Measure A, to be levied in 2015-16.

With regard to the Endowment Fund for the upcoming academic year, there were two key announcements made at the meeting.  First, PEF member Mary Ireland announced that due to the growing and healthy nature of the nearly 6 million dollar Endowment, the PEF will provide a $275,000 grant to the schools in 2015-16.  Second, Ireland announced a proposal to merge the PEF with the Association of Piedmont Parent Clubs (APCP) so that they may share fundraising responsibilities in the future.

After the members of the School Board unanimously voted in favor of this merger, Ireland announced the plans the PEF and the APCP have for this upcoming year’s grant, which is $25,000 higher than the grant that was awarded last year.  Currently, the plans are for the additional money being granted this year to go toward computer science programs and for the rest of the money to go toward maintaining library facilities, counseling services, electives at the middle school level, and the seven-period day at the high school.

Following this discussion and a brief reading of the new Weight Training and Fitness course to be offered at the high school next year, Assistant Superintendent Michael Brady announced an RFP the PUSD plans to release regarding Facilities Master Planning services.  According to Brady, the District wants community input before deciding on how best to improve the infrastructure and long-term safety and accessibility of the schools in Piedmont.  Brady expects that they will receive responses from several architectural firms before the next School Board meeting, and after a question from Board member Amal Smith, it became clear that these proposals will be presented to the School Board, but will be reviewed by a separate facilities committee.  Additionally, Brady made sure to point out that the funds for this project will not be from the general community, but rather will come from the remainder of the money from a past bond program that dealt with modernization.

Although both of the main aforementioned issues also dealt with financial issues, the public hearing regarding Measure A was easily the most contentious issue brought up at the meeting.  Because it is written into Measure A that the additional percentage to levy the tax must be determined on a yearly basis, the discussion regarding the upcoming 2015-16 academic year began with a recommendation from a committee of community members dedicated to investigating the financial health of the District.  They recommended that the tax should be levied at the maximum level of an additional 2%, which is expected to yield an additional $191,747 in revenue and to leave a total of $9,724,121 collected during the upcoming year.  The committee suggested this levy because they want to save the extra money in the District’s reserves.  Somewhat shockingly, the School Board unanimously approved this increased levy after hearing just a short summary from the committee, citing voluntary sacrifice by community members as necessary to maintain our schools’ excellence.

Almost immediately after their vote, however, Mr. William Blackwell, a community member, took the podium to protest the tax.  He attacked Measure A and proposed a new tax be proposed based on the size of each citizen’s taxable parcel instead of on a uniform level.  This began an entire debate between Blackwell and Board Member Rick Raushenbush, who, as an attorney, reviewed the idea of a differential tax rate, which was evidently found unconstitutional after one such system in Alameda was challenged.  According to a conversation with both Doug Ireland and Raushenbush after the meeting, this was not the first time that Mr. Blackwell had voiced his outrage toward Measure A.  Thus, although it appeared rather surprising that the Board was allowed to forbid someone from voicing their opinion at a public meeting, it turned out that because Blackwell was raising an entirely new issue, he was allowed to be silenced during the meeting.

I find it strange that the Board approved the increase in taxes immediately, solely based on the idea that our funding from the state will be uncertain in the future, which seems as though it would be true whether or not taxes were increased. However, I appreciate the Board’s continued dedication to improving the quality of life for students of Piedmont schools.  After all, as Board Member Sarah Pearson told me after the meeting, it is the chance to improve and protect student well-being that encourages her–and others like her–to become involved with the School Board in the first place.

Editors’ Note:  Opinions expressed are those of the author.

– Hari Titan, a Piedmont parent, is conducting an online survey. –

Announcing a survey on the School Board’s Search for Superintendent.

The purpose of this survey is to assess public satisfaction with the selection process for the new Superintendent for Piedmont Unified School District.

Your participation is needed for the results to be valid and helpful to the community and the School District as they embark on a replacement for Randy Booker’s old position.

This survey was designed by Hari Titan after consultation with many prominent members of the community as well as the School District.

This survey is conducted using Google Forms which ensures anonymous participation.

The survey can be accessed here:  http://goo.gl/iEX1SA

Editors’ Note: Opinions expressed are those of the author.

– The Piedmont Unified School District announces Jennifer Fox is the 2015 Arthur Hecht Volunteer of the Year. –

Jennifer Fox was chosen for the many photographs she has taken of school activities including: 4th of July parades; football and lacrosse games; PHS homecomings; debate team tournaments; the Birdhouse and CHIME galas; Diversity Day; Fall Fest and PHS graduation.

This award is presented annually to individuals who have volunteered their efforts over a period of time and made a difference because of their involvement and commitment to Piedmont’s youth.

Following are the previous recipients: Hunter McCreary (1998); Ann Chandler (1999); Ruth Cuming (2000); Lisa Lomenzo (2001); jointly by Cathie Geddeis and Marion Souyoultzis (2002); jointly by Fritz and Mary Wooster (2003); Elizabeth (Betsy) Gentry (2004); Cynthia Gorman (2005); Grier Graff (2006); Julia Burke (2007); Maude Pervere (2008); jointly to Anne‐Marie Lamarche and Mark Menke (2009); Janiele Maffei Tovani (2010); Andrea Swenson (2011), June Monach (2012), Bill Drum (posthumously) and Mary Ireland  (2013), and Ray Perman (2014).

Art Hecht was a tireless community volunteer, and was dedicated to students in both Piedmont and Oakland. He served on Piedmont’s Board of Education from 1970 to 1982. Art also was very active with the Piedmont Continuation High School (now called Millennium High School). In 1998, the Art Hecht Volunteer of the Year Award was established in his memory.

The award will be presented at the May 13 Board of Education meeting.

– Two Piedmont High School Students, Robbie Diaz and Apryl Hsu, comment on the April 22nd PUSD Board of Education Meeting. –

Robbie Diaz reports:

The Piedmont Unified School District Board of Education discussed several key topics on the night of April 22. The government body, which meets on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month, only met once in April, no doubt due to the spring break observed by the school district.

The meeting started with an overview of Piedmont High School events by Student Representative Claire O’Connor. O’Connor mentioned past and upcoming events like spring break, the bird calling contest, prom, day on the green. and ASB election week. Most of these events were only mentioned by name, with most of the time spent covering the standings of the various sports teams.

After that, the Board gave time for anyone to bring up business not on the agenda. A long-term resident, Arthur Weil, started with an overview of his family’s history, telling the Board about his kids and grandkids who live in Piedmont. His issue that he brought to the Board was that he was supposed to be a speaker of some sort for the schools, but failed to have proper communication with the High School administration, preventing him from speaking. While the Board made no comment, High School Principal Brent Daniels briefly addressed the issue when he came up to speak later in the meeting, saying he would try to improve communication between the administration and guest speakers.

The rest of the speakers were High School senior students bringing forward ideas. Luke Smith suggested a master schedule for the high school, allowing teachers to coordinate large assignments and projects to be spread out. Sophia Mills advocated conservation in water usage, such as no longer watering the lawns and plants on campus. Assistant Superintendent for Business Services Michael Brady responded that since Governor Jerry Brown’s official announcement of California’s drought status, the city has been cutting back water usage across the board.

Apryl Hsu suggested making a system for student parking, as the city has recently taken away spots by turning them from parking zones to loading zones. Hsu’s primary argument would be that specified student parking would free up the residential streets around the campus that are bumper to bumper with student cars.

Finally, Abby Hansen suggested adding more trash, compost, and recycling bins on campus in order to address the large amount of trash left by students. Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services Randall Booker said that he would meet with the custodial staff to find locations for new bins, reassuring the Board that the bins are cheap enough to leave no impact on the budget.

Board President Andrea Swenson announced the upcoming Parent Information Night for parents of kindergarteners, jokingly reminding parents to leave their kids at home. Also, Sunday, April 26, the Fire Department will hold an open house, displaying their new fire engine, as well as focus on fire prevention strategies during drought periods.

Mary Ireland, President of the Ed Foundation, addressed the Piedmont Educational Foundation available endowment funds. The Board approved a grant of $275,000 for the schools, to be used for supporting the k-12 program, 7 period class days, and a focus on computer science curriculums.

Brent Daniels, Piedmont High School Principal, read the course outline for the new course Weight Training and Fitness. The course will promote an interest in lifelong fitness, teaching students about the dos and don’ts of proper body care, as well as building skills in both weight training and free weights. Scheduling wise, the new course will replace one semester of the upper division PE. I spoke on the issue, supporting the class, as I took the upper division PE course and found the time in that class spent on body fitness to be the most rewarding. A course focusing on personal health, especially in a town dominated by rigorous scholastic pursuits. which is sedentary by nature, is no doubt invaluable to the community. The Board seemed to enjoy positive student feedback, and appreciated my comments.

The biggest and most debated issue on the agenda was the decision to levy an additional 2% on the Measure A Tax, created to support the schools. Tam Hege and Guatem Hatuwati presented the board with packets thoroughly covering the speculated yield the levy would create, along with suggesting saving 4% of the total tax revenue in the District reserve. Ed: 2%, comment below

Opposing not only the levy, but Measure A all together, was Mr. Bill Blackwell who, judging by his exchanges with the board, had been to numerous meetings to bring up the idea of a replacement tax for Measure A. While he referenced a new tax policy being adopted by Alameda County, the Board refused to acknowledge alternate tax plans, as they had been advised by legal professionals not to alter Measure A.

Blackwell would not back down, arguing that the tax was unfair to citizens of Piedmont who didn’t have children or grandchildren in the school system. Eventually, the Board had to stand firmly on the grounds that advocating for a new tax measure, in light of the significant fighting that went on for Measure A in the first place, would not be worth anyone’s time nor energy.

The Board then looked at an RFP for the high school campus. The RFP was approved on Board goal 6, “to invest and preserve school facilities”. The proposal looks to develop long term safety and accessibility around campus. The only concern, raised by Board member Doug Ireland, was how construction would affect the already chaotic morning drop-off, but the Board was confident that they could work with the city to find a solution down the line.

Finally, Superintendent Hubbard recommended the certification of the Declaration of Need for Fully Qualified Educators. The Declaration allows the district to employ a teacher that is training for a given subject, if no other suitable candidates can be found. I spoke on this issue as well, for clarification, before the Board motioned for its approval.

After the meeting was over, I met with Assistant Superintendent for Educational Services Randall Booker for a quick interview. Booker deals with issues surrounding curriculum instruction, like the weight training class from earlier in the meeting. In the future, Booker faces not only addressing a new teacher evaluation system, but also taking Hubbard’s place as Superintendent of the District.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Report on the School Board Meeting- April 22nd, 2015 by Apryl Hsu

The Piedmont Unified School District Board of Education is comprised of nine members. At every meeting the Board President, Vice President, three Board members, Superintendent, Assistant Superintendents, and Student Representative are present. The Board members discuss issues concerning the various schools in Piedmont. The Board meets the second and fourth Wednesdays at 7 p.m  at the City Hall Council Chambers.

The meeting held on April 22, 2015 had two major topics; one, was the introduction of a new weight training and fitness class, the other was a proposed levy of the current school support tax, known as Measure A. During the meeting, every Board member spoke multiple times, whether it be to ask a question or speak in favor of a particular issue. Aside from the many high school students at the meeting, there were also concerned citizens. Many of the high school students spoke in the beginning of the meeting to address their concerns about the school.

Three citizens spoke to the Board about [a proposed 2% increase in the parcel tax] Measure A. Two were in favor of the 2% increase, while Mr. Bill Blackwell, spoke against the increase and the Measure.

Measure A funds many of the schools programs and is essential in maintaining the quality of the Piedmont School District. The measure provides 9.5 million dollars for the schools and this is possible because Measure A created a uniform tax per parcel. Everyone from the community contributes the same amount of money to the school which is beneficial to the students and the teachers. Mr. Blackwell was a citizen that spoke against Measure A.

As a student at Piedmont High School, I support Measure A and believe that it should be put into full swing. It allows the high school to keep its teachers and continue funding into the music program, and many other classes special to Piedmont High School.

Mr. Daniels, Principal of Piedmont High School, was present at the School Board meeting to propose a new class for the high school. “In order for a class to become valid, the Board has to approve it” says Daniels. “It’s all part of the process”.  At the meeting, Mr. Daniels hoped to receive feedback from the Board and hopefully the proposal will go through to a second reading.

At the beginning of the meeting when members of the public could speak, I brought up the subject of parking at the high school. Due to the small amount of spots available and many student drivers, it is very hard to find parking for the school day. I suggested to the School Board that they should issue parking passes making mornings a lot easier for many students. I mentioned my personal experiences with parking in the morning and Mr. Booker took notes agreeing with my suggestion to issue parking passes. The School Board meeting adjourned two hours later, making it a short meeting.

Editors’ Note: Opinions expressed are those of the authors.

Piedmonters can nominate Piedmont volunteers who have made extraordinary contributions to the quality of “cultural, political, health, safety, environmental, recreational, and/or social” life of the Piedmont community in 2014.

Piedmont benefits from the many volunteers who give generously of their time. On May 27^th at 6:30 p.m., Piedmont’s Civic Volunteer of the Year Award will be presented at the Piedmont Community Hall. The public is invited.

Nomination details:

Please return the nomination form by May 15, 2015, to:

Civic Volunteer of the Year Award, City Clerk’s Office, CITY OF PIEDMONT, 120 Vista Avenue, Piedmont, California 94611,

Click below for details and the form.

Eligibility

Nomination form

You are invited to join a tour with city staff, committee and community members to view proposals for city expenditure of tax dollars on capital improvement projects.  A lunch open to the public will follow the tour.

The Capital Improvement Project Review Committee (CIPRC) and staff have organized a tour of proposed projects on Saturday, April 25, 2015 starting at 9:00 a.m. in the City Hall Conference Room, 120 Vista Avenue, Piedmont, CA. Each site visit will take approximately 15 minutes. Broadcast and recordings of the meeting will not be produced.  To hear discussion and recommendations to the City Council requires interested individuals to be present.  Minutes of the CIPRC meetings are not kept.

The proposed sites will be viewed in the following order:

a. Piedmont Community Pool

b. Piedmont Community Hall & Plaza

c. Linda/Kingston Triangle

d. Pedestrian Crossing to Blair Park (Coaches Field)

e. Oakland Avenue Lighted Crosswalks (El Cerrito Avenue / Jerome Avenue)

f. Pedestrian Crossing for Wildwood School (Wildwood Avenue at Prospect Ave)

g. Dracena Park Entry (Park Way & Dracena Ave)

h. Corporation Yard 

Following the tour, the public is included in the City Hall working lunch.

Read the agenda.

Fire prevention and disaster preparedness!

The Public Safety Committee and the Fire Department are holding an open house at the Fire Station, Vista Avenue, on Sunday, April 26, 2015  from 12:00 noon to 2:00 p.m.  Go and learn how to be ready for the next earthquake.  Fire prevention information will be available for all who attend. 

Updated 4/23/15

Piedmont High School students report on the April 15, 2015 Recreation Commission Meeting

Marley Bratman reports:

On April 15th at 7:30 p.m, the Piedmont Recreation Commission kicked off their monthly meeting by honoring Terry London, a long time Commission member who is retiring. The Recreation Commission has the job of advising the City Council concerning the renovation or creation of recreation facilities as well as making decisions regarding Piedmont field use allocations. 

Shortly after the celebration for London, the Commission moved onto their first topic, the renovation of Hampton Field.  Mark Feldkamp, a member of the staff, discussed the changes Hampton Field will face in the month of June regarding the new and improved drainage, tennis courts, basketball courts, and turf fields. Currently, there are not enough drains to dry the fields quickly, the basketball and tennis courts are cracked, and Hampton Field is the only field in Piedmont with out an artificial turfed field.

Due to expenses on the Hampton Field renovation being high, Feldkamp proposed a two-stage process. The first stage would cost over $507,000, focusing on the hardscape areas while the second stage would cost around $700,000 to $800,000, focusing on the field, benches, and entry areas.

Piedmont High School student and private tennis instructor, Daniel Lin, included his input on the public forum concerning the central Piedmont tennis courts. Lin said that the lights do not illuminate the courts enough once it gets dark and the area around the courts is not large enough.  Recreation Director Sara Lillevand responded to Lin’s concerns saying that she and her staff members are completely aware of these problems and the Piedmont courts are up next to be resurfaced and fixed.

Next up on the public forum, Piedmont High student and track and field member, Gates Zheng, spoke about his issues regarding the nets put up around the turf at Witter Field. Zheng said he thinks the nets are not high enough and do not keep lacrosse and soccer balls from hitting people running along the track. I am a lacrosse player and I agree that these nets are not high enough because our team loses too many balls when we have practice and games. Higher nets around the turf would fix this problem for both track teams and lacrosse teams.

Once the public forum came to a close, Commissioner Betsy Andersen addressed a CIP update, which stands for capital improvement projects. Currently there are several projects related to the Piedmont Community Hall. There is a request for a renovation of the plaza where many large events are held in addition to installing terraces for indoor/outdoor space. There is also a request to renovate the amphitheater, which is located on the other side of the Community Hall.

The last topic the Recreation Commission covered was who to honor with the Betty C Howard Award, which honors outstanding contributions to Piedmont recreation. The Commission decided on Ray Deranger, an eight-year event employee, who always pleases everyone’s requests. The second person they decided should win the award was retiring Commissioner Terry London because of all the hard work he has dedicated to the Recreation Commission.

After the meeting was adjourned, I spoke with Chair Stephen Mills. Mills used to be a commisioner on the Piedmont Park Commission, but recently became a part of the Recreation Commission. Mills stated, “I love Piedmont and enjoy working with the community.” He is pleased that he can help fix the concerns and problems addressed by his fellow Piedmont citizens. Mills was fascinated by the Dracena Park project when he was apart of the Park Commission and is now looking forward to the Hampton Project being put forth.

The League of Women Voters (LWV) of Piedmont’s Annual Meeting will be on Friday, May 8, and feature guest speaker David Sapp, Director of Education Advocacy for the ACLU of California. Sapp will discuss Common Core, Local Control Funding Formula for school districts, charter schools, school facilities and more.

The meeting agenda begins at 10 a.m., and the speaker will be at 11:30 a.m. Lunch tickets are $25/advance and $30/door. There is no charge to attend just the meeting and speaker at the home of Sue Smegal, 107 King Avenue.