The Park Commission did not have an official meeting on December 7th.  Instead, there was a social gathering as a Holiday break that segued into the tree lighting ceremony at 7:30 p.m.  While there were no official issues to be addressed or discussed, it was the perfect time for a high school senior interested in the inner-workings of government to bump elbows and inquire upon many Piedmont government officials.

I got the opportunity to simultaneously interview the Mayor, Jeff Wieler and the Director of Public Works, Chester Nakahara as he stood behind the bar – eager to serve his community both beverages and hours of hard work.  I learned a lot more about general park information through direct conversation than I would have attempting to participate in a busy Park Commission’s docket.

  As a high school student, I admittedly had both a specific and limited view of what the Park Commission and the Public Works Department do.  I wanted a different perspective of my main connection to the Piedmont Parks -an inside scoop on the daily announcements pleading my peers to stop littering during their off-campus lunch privileges.  I was shocked to discover that it takes a full man day of work to clean all the litter after every Piedmont High School off-campus lunch break.  Despite trash and recycling bins within arms reach, the worst offending areas are Piedmont Main Park and outside the Veterans Building and City Hall.

The tone of both Wieler’s and Nakahara’s voices were mixtures between exasperation and jokes about the laziness of the litterers.  There was no obvious solution towards solving this problem that they have not already tried.  There are sufficient waste disposal containers, plus the quality of education at the school should justify a level of awareness to negate the problem.

I could not come up with answers or suggestions that have not already been attempted, I could only do my best to reassert that it seems to be an excessive and ongoing issue that the City needs to have a different stance on.  20-30% of the Publics Works budget of $4 million is dedicated strictly towards maintenance and cleaning.  That can make it harder to achieve some of Mayor Jeff Wieler’s park and public works goals: to finish the Linda Triangle, continue beautification, and to fully illuminate the Oakland Avenue Bridge for safety purposes.

    Additionally, I learned that the California drought has minimally affected parks in Piedmont because the Piedmont Fire Department efficiently directs their mandated engine tests while spraying water onto Coaches Field.  The only evident aspect of our communities water shortage is the large brown spot on upper Dracena Park, a park that recently had a more controversial decision of whether a certain stretch of the dog park allowed dogs to be off leash.  The dogs must remain on leash, as the Park Commission recently decided, but additional and clearer signage is needed around that park.

  Jeff Wieler, Chester Nakahara, and every other person I met (like Park Commission staff liaison Nancy Kent!) work tirelessly in their various positions to help improve Piedmont.  They were all incredibly knowledgeable – Wieler was occasionally frustrated at himself for not having a certain exact budget or figure on the tip of his tongue – and even just a more light-hearted social Holiday celebration can bring up important local issues that everyone is clearly passionate about attempting to solve.

Josef Crombie Presberg, Piedmont High School Senior

Editors Note: Opinions expressed are those of the author.

On December 14th, 2016, I attended a Piedmont Unified School District Board meeting at Piedmont City Hall. These meetings occur once or twice a month during the school year and their purpose is to discuss and propose changes to the Piedmont school system.

This meeting was focused on the Single Plan for Student Achievement which asked every Piedmont school principal to review their last year’s goals and create new goals for the coming year. There were also quick notes on school activities going on which were presented by the Associated Student Body President Alisha Lewis and each board member gave a quick list of the school related events they had recently attended. However, during the two hours I was at the meeting, the majority of the time was spent on each Principal’s plan for their school. Elementary school principals presentations weren’t until much later.

Principals Brent Daniels, Sati Shah, and Ryan Fletcher shared similar goals which included: improving communication between students and teachers, efficiency of time spent outside of school (eg. necessity of homework, sleep), and taking care of emotional and physical wellness for their students. Though a few times the Board may have had questions for the Principals, they seemed very happy with last year’s results and next year’s goals.

I got a chance to speak with Sati Shah, the Principal at Millennium High School, before the meeting began and asked him a few questions about his upcoming presentation.  He said that on average he gives about three or four presentations to the Board and that helps “set [a] collaborative direction for [the] school to follow”. He seemed confident with his presentation and after he finished, he was greeted with a few notes of praise by the Board towards the educational decisions made by Millennium High School.

This was a long meeting and after Ryan Fletcher’s goals for the year, I found that the similarities were growing and there would be little change between the elementary schools in terms of goals.

Finally, there was an election for a new president, vice president and secretary of the board which went to Sarah Pearson, Amal Smith, and Randall Booker.

Cato Leist, Piedmont High School Senior

~~~~~~~~~

    I attended a School Board meeting on December 14, 2016. The purpose of the meeting was to make sure everyone is in agreement on how the schools are running and how they are progressing toward their goals.

    Because it was the last meeting of the year, the principals from all the schools in the Piedmont Unified School District came to talk about their assessment of last year’s goals and how they will improve them this year or new goals.

    Principal Brent Daniels, of Piedmont High School (PHS), was the first principal to speak on his goals. He noted all the efforts he and all the staff made to reduce student stress and give students a greater opportunity to sleep; tutorial and staff meetings in the morning, conflict calendars, and the five day block scheduling. Also, his new goals for this topic; implement a curfew for any school related activities, including sports, a testing center open 8a.m. to 3p.m., therefore students can make-up tests on their own time, and continuing to make sure homework has Meaning, Value, and Practice (MVP.)

    Every Board member agreed that Principal Daniels had outstanding achievements and futures goals, however one Board member, Amal Smith, pointed out that we want to help the students as much as possible, without taking away from learning life skills. For example, the conflict calendar is an immense help, but on the contrary, students need to be taught how to juggle and delegate multiple projects or assignments at a time, because that is what is expected of people in the real world. Also, Board member Doug Ireland questioned if students were actually receiving more sleep. Principal Daniels stated that based on the survey, they are getting slightly more sleep, though they are mostly benefiting from the later start, thus they are more alert during class. Other than those two comments, every Board member expressed their support and positivity.

    Principal Daniels spoke about their efforts in improving the message of Consent. This past year, they chose to implement a new speaker and a debriefing. I spoke to the debriefing. I was lucky to have Ms.Taylor, the acting teacher and a leader in the Consent Assembly, lead my classes debriefing. I expressed that Ms.Taylor should lead the teachers in a class on how to talk to students because she created a warm and open environment where it was easy to speak my opinions. Also, about thirty student are in my English class, the class we debriefed with, and less than ten showed up. Teachers and faculty should stress the importance on the debriefing because many chose not to attend. I got an immense amount more from this assembly than freshman year’s Consent Assembly due to the discussion afterwards.

I had the chance to speak to Principal Sati Shaw, of Millennium High School (MHS). This was his second year as principal of MHS, thus his second year reviewing and expressing his goals, the Single Student Achievement Plan. He fully supports the Board meetings as, “they are a great opportunity for teachers, parents, and community members to express their ideas and feelings,”  said Shaw.

Then, he continued to explain the process of the goals. The goals are tirelessly attempted to be met, while new ones are arising. They are all important, but as Principal Shaw stated, “it is about prioritizing them and where the School Board and I want the center of discussion to be. The main goal is to create a collaborative space where students feel comfortable to excel on a personal level. We get lost in grades and getting into college, we really try to create well rounded people as well.”

Daniela Siu, Piedmont High School Senior

Editors Note: Opinions expressed are those of the author.

School Budget Advisory Committee includes teachers, District Administrators, and interested community members.

On December 8th of 2016, I attended Piedmont Unified School District [PUSD] Budget Advisory Committee Meeting at District office Board Room 760 Magnolia Avenue. The PUSD Budget Advisory Committee meets once every three months. The general purpose of the meeting is to discuss where PUSD money is coming from and where it is going; in other words, budget funding.

I realized however, after the first few minutes of listening in on this meeting, that budget funding sounds much more simple than it is. The long stream of numbers and expenses listed on the slides were extremely detailed, at times hard to follow, and only emphasized how much detail and planning goes into budget funding. The meeting covered topics of the amount of money the school receives and loses due to student absences, parcel tax, federal revenue, restrictive revenue, donation sources, pension costs, retirement benefits, and the different levels of expenses and gains year to year. One issue that was addressed/voiced was the fact that we are spending more and more each year because of heightened expenses which is causing us to cut into our budget fund savings, whittling away at that number year by year. The issue that comes with this statement was discussed by Mr. Best, a leader of the meeting, who was highlighting how this is a very dangerous statistic.

Another issue voiced, because there were many teachers at the meeting, was the lack of benefits teachers have. California is one of the few states that does not cover teachers with social security so that is something that is really detrimental and takes a portion away from their paychecks. This is an issue that I believe is something that should be shared and highlighted because while California seems to be a very progressive, fair state, it does not seem fair that teachers are not covered under social security. During this topic, I asked the Committee a few questions about this particular topic as well as voiced my opinion on the subject.

At the end of the meeting I interviewed a Middle School teacher named Gabriel Kessler. Kessler, the vice president of the teachers union, said “It’s really important that I’m familiar with the budget and understand it because I’m involved with a lot of decision and negotiations.”

Kessler said that the other reason he attended the meeting was his “belief that teachers, as well as students, should take some civic interest in what’s going on in the community.”

Kessler said there are some concerns he had that he came to the meeting wanting to address. “The budget reserve getting lower and lower is definitely a big issue,” Kessler said. “The rise in pension benefits is also causing a real problem.”

The other issue Kessler brought up were the budget cuts that are going to be taking place.

When asked how we can combat these issues, Kessler responded by saying “I think we have to put pressure on our law makers and representatives of finding ways to fund education.” Kessler’s other idea to implement positive change was about the giving campaign and where that money goes to.

“A lot of that money is designated to specific uses. I am wondering if that money can become undesignated so that the School Board and Superintendent are able to put it to where they feel is most important,” Kessler said.

Maddie Wolfe, Piedmont High School Senior

Editors Note: Opinions expressed are those of the author. Meetings of the Budget Advisory Committee are not broadcast or recorded.  The meetings are open to the public. 

    I attended the School Board meeting on Wednesday, November 11, 2016. This governmental body meets every two weeks to discuss issues and make decisions about the Piedmont Unified School District, including the three elementary schools, the Middle School, and both Piedmont and Millennium High School. This meeting was focused on honoring Rick Raushenbush, who is retiring from the board, and reviewing the many science class models presented by the state of California for both the middle school and the high school. Almost all of the board members, and a community member, spoke about Mr. Raushenbush and presented him with gifts.

Alisha Lewis also delivered the school report to the board, mentioning events like the seniors’ urban plan projects, Civics students’ phone banking for campaigns, and the theater program’s performance, “The Drowsy Chaperone.” Community members, including many students, had the opportunity to speak about an issue. I spoke to the topic of AP classes, because I have noticed that many of the advanced classes are in the Science Department, and I would love to see more opportunities in the humanities/social sciences realm, specifically for classes like Psychology. The board did not comment, other than to thank me for my input.

A large chunk of the meeting was devoted to presenting NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards) course models for the middle and high school. Dr. Cheryl Wozniak and Principal Shati Shah, along with middle and high school teachers, presented these options, including benefits and challenges for each, which the state has developed. They explained how there are new standards for the science department, and they would like to incorporate more earth science and engineering into most classes. At the middle school level, there are two options, one of which more closely aligns with the current course system, and one that integrates all areas of science into each level. There are also eight different models at the high school level, three of which are accelerated. Each model has drawbacks and benefits, although many of the accelerated models seemed to have the most challenges.

Personally, I think it would make more sense to make more engineering and earth/space classes available, rather than try to incorporate those in the existing courses. I like that right now, most students have freedom to choose their science path, but if they are required to take classes that are not domain specific, they cannot focus on a particular interest and college applications become more confusing. However, the board must pick one of the options provided by the state, so whichever one has the least specific path structure and would be ideal. I do think that integrated science at the middle school level would be helpful, though.

    Another issue addressed by the board is the methods of communication, and whether community feel they can both stay informed and share their own opinions. Some members spoke to the idea of parents selecting filters, so they might only hear about their topics of interest (ex: arts, high school) and therefore do not become desensitized to the constant email communication that would otherwise occur.

   I interviewed Board Member Doug Ireland, who spoke to his motivation for being involved. He said that he loves the job and aims to maintain good schools, as that is critical to the community. Specifically about Wednesday’s meeting, he mentioned that difficulties include curriculum changes and budgeting. The process of changing curriculum involves meeting about the changes, getting updates from staff in order to make informed decisions, and reviewing different curriculum; the same method was used when they reformed the math curriculum last year. In terms of updating the schools, they are spending money to fix facilities in order to modernize learning in all aspects.

Ella Gilbert, Piedmont High School Senior

Editors Note: Opinions expressed are those of the author.

The following letter was sent to all school parents and guardians.  The letter is now addressed to all Piedmonters.

November 21, 2016

Dear Piedmont Neighbors,

Reactions to the national election and recent alarming acts of prejudice and bigotry in Piedmont have led us to reflect on our values and who we are as community leaders. While we may have differing political, religious, social, or sexual orientations, we each feel strongly that, at our very core, we value diversity, respect, and inclusivity.

We, along with Piedmont Unified School District and City of Piedmont staff, are committed to fostering a safe, inclusive and civil community through our policies, our programming, and our leadership. We stand firm in our collective belief that a safe and civil environment in our schools and across Piedmont is paramount.

To be clear, we will stand firmly united to promote acceptance and kindness, and we will stand up to bigotry, hatred, intolerance, and violence. We will stand in support of our diverse community, honoring and protecting every resident regardless of race, creed, color, gender, religion, ethnicity, nationality, orientation, or identity. We will strongly uphold our established policies prohibiting discrimination, hate-motivated incidents and hate crimes, hazing, harassment, intimidation, bullying, cyberbullying, and other disruptive or violent behaviors in our schools and our city.

The City and the School District share these values. The City Administrator and the School Superintendent collaborate to ensure that our community is welcoming and works together for the betterment of its citizens. Our Police and Fire Departments, along with all City Department Services, work in concert to keep our residents safe and secure. Our teachers are holding age-appropriate discussions with students, including reminders about the importance of reflection, respect, and civic engagement. They teach our students the skills, attitudes, and competencies to stand in the shoes of others; exercise empathy; speak out against bullying; make responsible, caring choices; solve problems peacefully; and, as they grow up, become the architects of a better world.

We recognize that we live in challenging times and navigating the waters ahead may not always be smooth. We want to reassure our community that we will take care of each other, we will respect each other, and we will not tolerate the intolerable. By focusing on our shared values of respect and inclusivity, we have an opportunity to come together to be our best selves, to support each other, and to strengthen our community.

Sincerely,

Piedmont Board of Education

Andrea Swenson, President

Sarah Pearson, Vice President

Amal Smith, Member

Doug Ireland, Member

Rick Raushenbush, Member

Cory Smegal, Member-elect

~~~~~~~~~~~

Piedmont City Council

Jeff Wieler, Interim Mayor

Robert McBain, Vice Mayor

Teddy Gray King, Councilmember

Jonathan Levine, Councilmember

Tim Rood, Councilmember

Jennifer Cavanaugh, Councilmember-elect

Signed by, Randall Booker, Superintendent of Schools

DRESS BEST FOR LESS

The Carriage House Marking Room is proposed to be eliminated for a new Aquatic Center development.

Carriage House Marking Room at Magnolia and Bonita Avenues – 799 Magnolia Ave., Piedmont, CA – 510-653-0221

Compounding challenges for DBFL, the proposed Aquatic Center includes destruction of the Carriage House, valued as a quaint landmark of Piedmont’s past. The Carriage House has long served as the DBFL sorting and marking room and a very convenient drop off center for donations.  On any day of the week Piedmonters can be seen bringing bags and boxes of toys, outgrown clothes and housewares to the Carriage House.

The elimination of the Carriage House as a marking room is not immediate. However, if a bond is approved by voters for the Aquatic Center, a new marking room will need to be purchased, rented or built in a central Piedmont location for the convenience of volunteer workers and donors, who donate or work at the Carriage House before picking up kids or after swimming next door. 

Are there any other City owned properties that could serve as well as the Carriage House for donations and recycling in the community? Perhaps the east wing of 801 Magnolia Avenue or the City garages on Magnolia Avenue?

According to Gayle Sells, Chair of DBFL Board, “We hope that the city and school community can find us another space if the pool gets the go ahead.  Our board supports the idea of a new community pool.”

Recycling locally is an important contribution to fulfilling our required reduction of greenhouse gases and reaching the objectives of Piedmont’s Climate Action Plan. 

If you have ideas or can help relocate DBFL, let DBFL know at  shopdbfl@gmail.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the last Saturday of the month, there is a $10 bag sale from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Carriage House Marking Room – Bag Day is a popular adventure allowing avid thrift shoppers to stuff a standard brown grocery bag full of items for $10.

DONATIONS: 

Cleaning closets? Recycle and reuse with Dress Best for Less! DBFL is always in need of gently used and good condition clothing, books, sporting goods and other small household items that will produce revenues for the schools. (Please no computers, non-working electrical items, or soiled, stained, moldy items!). Donate items at the marking room at 709 Magnolia Avenue, across from Piedmont High School.

Shop at the Store for Great Bargains. DBFL is the best upscale resale store in the East Bay! We sell only the most current styles and labels as well as household items in a friendly, organized atmosphere.  Come to the Store located at 3861 Piedmont Avenue.

DBFL Store:
3861 Piedmont Avenue,
Oakland, CA 94611
Phone – 510-658-8525
Email: shopdbfl@gmail.com
Tuesday -Saturday – 11am to 6pm

Marking Room:
799 Magnolia Avenue,
Piedmont, CA 94611
Phone – 510-653-0221
Monday – 10:00am – noon
Tuesday – 9am – 1:30pm
Wednesday – 9am – 4pm
Saturday – 10am – noon

DBFL is an important resource for Piedmonters and Piedmont Schools. 

Read more about Dress Best for Less here. <

During the afternoon of Monday, November 14, 2016,  approximately 200 Piedmont High School, Millennium High School and Piedmont Middle School students left their campuses to join with students from Oakland Technical High School in protest of the presidential election.

The Piedmont Police and Fire Departments along with District teachers, staff and administrators monitored the protest. The safety and order of the march was maintained.  Some students left the march after reaching Oakland Tech, while others continued on to Oakland City Hall.

“I am thankful for the support of Piedmont’s city services, Oakland Unified’s administrative team, and that the walk-out was peaceful.  If you have any questions or concerns, please contact my office at rbooker@piedmont.k12.ca.us .”

Randall Booker, Superintendent Piedmont Unified School District

Now that H1 has passed, let us refocus our efforts on seeing that our new facilities are fastidiously maintained.  A certain amount of the tackiness, general seediness and carpet smell in certain areas comes from a low level of janitorial care.  Smudgy windows and chipped paint take very little effort to correct.

The slightest nick in the indoor trim at the White House has somebody with a tiny paintbrush, the size found in a child’s watercolor paint box, meticulously dabbing on a swoosh of white paint.  All the trim in the White House is white and of the same shade to facilitate this low-tech remedy.  If it’s good enough for the White House, it should be good enough for the schools of Piedmont.

With the tens of millions of dollars that are going to be spent, it’s not too much to expect, that our new facilities will have somebody assigned to administer the “white glove” test to every room the way they do at the Ritz. Our students and faculty deserve the best, as well as the generous citizens of Piedmont that are paying for it.

   Sunny Bostrom-Fleming, Piedmont Resident

Editors Note: Opinions expressed are those of the author.