Pictured are Hari Titan with his wife Roopal and his daughter.

Statement:

I’m a member of the Havens Dads Club and recent board member of the Piedmont Makers group. I’ve also been a member of the Piedmont Neighbors and Newcomers group since we first moved to Piedmont.

I love the Piedmont community and enjoy connecting with fellow parents and showing my out of town friends the beauty of living in the Bay Area.

Both my parents were educators. My father was a high school math and science teacher and my mother was an elementary school teacher. However my parents insisted I did my own homework and made sure it was done. If I got questions wrong I had to understand why it was wrong. I think my parent’s focus on education led me to go for higher education myself. I was the first person in my extended family to get a PhD in any subject.

I earned a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Waterloo in Canada in 1993. While finishing my degree, I volunteered to join a search committee for selecting the Vice President of Academics at the University of Waterloo. Being a public university, that process had to be very rigorous and transparent. I learned the importance of a paper trail to accompany decision making. I see the same level of rigor in hiring for Fin-Tech and other Internet startups over the past 20 years of my career. These include a thorough job description with job requirements that materially impact on the job performance.

In 1993 I taught college level Computer Science courses at a small liberal arts school and experienced first hand the difficulties of teaching students with a wide variety of skills, interests and levels of commitment. I found most students unprepared to learn programming and were in the class because it will lead to a career. This is likely an artifact of teaching at a smaller college and should not be the case for good schools.

I spent most of my career working in California as a “Big Data Scientist”. This field is vital to financial firms and high tech companies. Huge volumes of customer data like from credit card and banking transactions or to online activies are analyzed to help firms predict risks and opportunities at an enterprise level. I also have a U.S. patent on using and explaining the behavior of advanced computer programs that are used to identify highly suspicious fraudulent activity on credit cards.

My wife, Roopal, and I moved to Piedmont in November 2008. We moved here because we loved the beauty of Piedmont, the feeling of a safe community, a very high performance school district and the comparative value we got for the home price we paid for at the time. My son briefly went to Piedmont High School and we have a daughter who is now in 5th grade at Havens Elementary.

I am still amazed at the performance of PUSD students on scholastic tests. This remained generally true during the 2008-2011 recession and is still true post-transition to common core (CAASPP) testing. I built an online app to view CAASSP test results(link is external) for all school districts in any county in CA. I believe student performance has a lot to do with being raised by high performing parents, good teaching methods in school and dedicated caregivers and tutors who provide abundant extra curricular support and learning opportunities.

In late 2013 I was at a Haven’s Club meeting where a presenter talked about renovating the Alan Harvey theater that would require no incremental taxation. I found this to be mathematically suspect and decided to investigate prior PUSD bond offerings. It felt like I was in uncharted waters. Most of the school board thought process was outsourced to bond consultants who had a hard time correctly explaining the details of what they were doing. Taxpayers were paying fees to these consultants for work that was not being done by salaried district staff. Like math, finance works in favor of whomever is crunching the numbers. If the district is not doing the math to maximize the benefit for the students and taxpayers, outside consultants were not going to do that for us unless the board knew exactly what to ask for. This is a general problem with any kind of outsourcing.

I was also questioning why performing arts was being emphasized over other fields of study that lead to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) jobs. At first I was told most STEM jobs were off-shored and therefore not important to emphasize. This was troubling to me because I knew that scientific thinking and good critical thinking skills pay off in finance, healthcare and legal jobs that on the surface appear to have nothing to do with STEM. Later the Piedmont Makers group championed adding Arts to the list as a counter balance, leading to STEAM with an emphasis on shared facilities and shared maker spaces.

I also found that renovations were getting more expensive as building codes were being revised with increased regulation. I helped compare the Alan Harvey theater renovation (+ expansion) plan to nearby new theater construction, which the district did not do. I found that you could get greater design flexibility and functionality from new construction at almost the same cost as a renovation. This may be counter-intuitive at first until you look at the actual costs paid by nearby school districts.

Many of you might have seen one of my periodic surveys. I do this to take a pulse on what other parents are thinking and see if my ideas resonate. This helps me fight for things the public actually agrees with. The School Board should engage in more public opinion surveys to get ideas (with open questions) and gauge priorities before holding formal elections.

You’ll find a lot more details on my ideas on the “Campaign of Ideas” tab.

Click the “Contact Hari” link on my website to send me your thoughts. Website link is below. 

HariTitan.com

Editors Note:  PCA does not support or oppose individual candidates for public office. 

 The Piedmont Board of Education will meet in Piedmont City Hall on Sept. 28, 2016 at 7:00 p.m.  Read the full agenda here.

• VI.A. H1 Bond Priorities and Tax Rate Summary  Speaker: Randall Booker, Superintendent

 All attachments must be downloaded to your computer to be read.

Background on Measure H1   H1 Tax Rate Information Fact Sheet

VII.A. Accept The Piedmont Education Foundation Tier I and Tier II Grants Check  – Speaker: Randall Booker, Superintendent

Attachments: Background – PEF Donation

VII.B. Conduct Public Hearing and Adopt Resolution 06-2016-17, “Resolution on Sufficiency of Textbooks and Instructional Materials” Speaker: Randall Booker, Superintendent

Education Code Section 60119 requires a school district to conduct a public hearing determining whether text books and instructional materials, including lab equipment for science lab classes, were provided to all students, including English learners. The Board will be requested to adopt the resolution.

Attachments: Resolution 06-2016-17 – Sufficiency of Textbooks

 VII.C. Adopt Resolution 07-2016-17, Authorizing “Temporary Borrowing from Alameda County Treasury per Education Code 42620.

Speaker: Song Chin-Bendib, Assistant Superintendent, Business Services

The Board will be asked to approve the Resolution to allow the District to borrow from the Alameda County Treasury on an as-needed basis to meet cash flow needs throughout the year due to the State’s deferral of apportionments to K-12 schools. The funds are borrowed on a temporary basis and no loan amount crosses fiscal years. Borrowing between District funds and the County Treasurer allows the District to meet monthly financial obligations is a cost savings to the alternative of issuing a Tax Revenue Anticipation Note (TRAN).

Attachments: Resolution 07-2016-17 – Temporary Borrowing from the Alameda County Treasurer

VIII.A.1. Next Generation Science Standards

Speaker: Dr. Cheryl Wozniak and Sati Shah

Attachments: Background on NGSS

Click on the attachments and download them to your computer to be able to read them. 

Cory Smegal — Candidate for Piedmont Board of Education

I am happy to announce my candidacy for the Piedmont Board of Education.  Like many of you, we moved to Piedmont so our children could attend the public schools.  My husband grew up here and we wanted our two children to have the same high-quality education and opportunities fostered by generations of hard-working teachers, parents and community members.

For the last 11 years, I have supported our schools as an involved parent and tireless volunteer. I served as president of the Wildwood Parent Club the year that we need to plan for the school relocation to Emeryville.  The next year, I was a member of the Seismic Oversight Committee to monitor and review the seismic work for Wildwood.

I worked on the Giving Campaign Committee for six years, two as co-chair.  During my tenure as co-chair, we raised over $3.4 million for our schools. As a member of the Math Task Force, I worked with administrators, teachers and other parents on recommendations for implementation of the new math curriculum. I recently finished a two year term on the PMS Site Council and currently serve as co-treasurer for the Piedmont Education Foundation.

I’ve had a breadth of volunteer opportunities that have allowed me to see how things work in the District and what areas can be improved.  As a School Board member, I will focus on communication, fiscal responsibility, and decision-making transparency in our District. I have an MBA from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and 16 years of experience as a business consultant with KPMG and a marketing executive with AT&T.  My education and experience in business and volunteering for Piedmont schools allows me to ask the right questions, understand the financial issues facing the district and scrutinize the district’s economic priorities.

I support Measure H1 to invest in the physical infrastructure of our aging schools.  If it is passed, I will be a leader in ensuring the district makes effective use of our tax dollars to create lasting improvements for students and teachers.

On a more personal note, my daughter is a sophomore at PHS and my son is an 8^th grader at PMS.  I am committed to making sure that the District provides the highest quality education not only for them, but for all of its current and future students.  On November 8^th, I would be honored to have your support for Piedmont Board of Education.

Sincerely,

Cory Smegal

If you’d like to learn more about me, please visit my website,www.voteforcorysmegal.com.  

If you’d like to watch the recent League of Women Voters Election Forum, you can stream it at:  http://www.ci.piedmont.ca.us/video/index.shtml  (Select “Other Public Meetings”)

Editors Note:  The Piedmont Civic Association does not support or oppose candidates for public office. 

Read the full article here.

Read the February Piedmont Highlander article here.

Student Report of  September 14 School Board Meeting  –

  Walking into the School Board meeting at City Hall on September 14, I was met with flashbacks. Recognizing the u-shaped table with chairs followed with a movie theatre array of chairs, I went back to when I went to a Planning Commission years ago. With a flashback regarding my family’s plan to renovate our home where a derogatory comment emerged, claiming that our house would become Piedmont’s own “Drive-through McDonalds”, I was worried that this meeting would be the same. However, instead of being met with blunt comments, I entered 120 Vista Avenue and was met with amusing, sarcastic, yet supportive, atmosphere. With Millennium Vice President and Junior Max Miller describing recent school events and plans and with meetings every two weeks, I realized that our School Board isn’t one that stereotypically deals with just parents, it has students who help provide for our schools futures and it invests valuable time to improve our school and our students.

  After each member introduced themselves, President of the School Board Andrea Swenson asked observers if they had any topics that they would like to bring up that weren’t on the agenda. Fellow seniors Amelia Henry and Cole Bloomfield brought up issues like 30 minutes maximum homework per night and the amount of summer homework that is given and whether it is beneficial. I brought up the issue of the gates and locks surrounding Wildwood school.

  As a lifelong Piedmont resident who crosses Witter Field to walk home from school, free periods pose an issue to myself and others who live in similar areas. With activities and appointments scheduled after school, walking down Wildwood Avenue or Magnolia Avenue can pose a threat to being on time. Knowing that student safety obviously surpasses the need to be on time, I wanted the board just to think about my topic and if something could be done about the gates. With smiles and nods of the heads, I saw and realized that our students desires and needs are met openly and with enthusiasm.

  After a recap of past events and an introduction to upcoming ones, Superintendent Randall Booker passed the microphone to Cheryl Wozniak of Curriculum and Instruction and Stephanie Griffin of Instructional Technology to discuss the recent scores of the CAASPP test. The second year used, the test yielded positive results. With Piedmont exceeding well over the average in California for ELA and Mathematics tests (87% to 49% and 87% to 37%), our city ranks as one of the top successors in both Northern California and the state. However, when one dives deeper and checks the success rates on individual sections, results aren’t so astounding. While Piedmont passed most sections with flying colors, the Listening area was of the weakest performance. With joking comments on how it isn’t teenagers best area of expertise anyhow, board members like Rick Raushenbush and Amal Smith were quick to question why this was the case and asked questions about what could be done to elevate our performance levels. These questions were quickly answered and suggestions were offered by the seniors sitting alongside me.

  Elijah Levy brought up the emphasis of studying a week beforehand, as AP testing and other tests were taking up studying time and that the CAASPP didn’t have the same weight as the ACT and the SAT, thus students weren’t concerned about the outcome. Following this, Sam Wen thought that educating students about the importance of the test and how it helps colleges learn about our high school and acknowledged our scores would be extremely beneficial. Elisa Glauber believed emphasizing the effects on the community and how if the community knows more, then the weight of the scores would be better projected and that since listening isn’t commonly used in the classroom, that incorporating it at home would yield better results in the coming years.

  Charlotte Puscasiu said that the test wasn’t being supported and students weren’t being helped by the Learning Center program. She also said that all LC students are grouped together despite different learning disabilities and that the board should talk to LC teachers and specialist to help students individually and with strategies that conform to their needs.

  While I didn’t speak, I believe that the CAASPP test was a waste of time and while it may yield better results to help students individually, the STAR test was a much better match for me and I didn’t feel like falling asleep during the review periods for the next test following the finished one. Like beforehand, all these suggestions and issues were met with nods of the head and an aura of eagerness to reform our schools to better help our students.

  Following the discussion of the CAASPP, the budget for the recent 2015-2016 school year and the future budget for the 2016-2017 school year was discussed. While most of this conversation flew over my head, the main issues that arose were the 3-4% of our budget that is set aside for the state and the low budget in deferred maintenance. As the state of California has messed up to some degree, 3-4% of Piedmont’s educational budget must be frozen and kept for state collection.

  While Board Member Doug Ireland said that $33,000 isn’t that big of an issue when one is looking at the whole picture, other members weren’t so sure. The $33,000 was brought up again when the board talked about the money used for deferred maintenance. While $190,000 may not seem like too small of a budget for maintenance issues for all of our schools, when a single roof can cost up to $70,000 and that the high school has a boiler from the 1960’s in the 30’s building, issues can arise. This section of the meeting went by relatively smoothly; the budget for the 2016-2017 school year seemed to receive a bit of worry.

  After the meeting ended and issues and agreements were approved unanimously, I went up to President of the board Andrea Swenson. As the President of the School Board, Andrea helps keep the sessions in order and make sure that all issues on the agenda are addressed. Asking her why she does what she does despite that all of her kids have graduated from Piedmont schools, Andrea simply states that she wants to improve the lives of students and make the schools a happy and safe environment, as they were for her own kids. Although she often has to bit her tongue when dealing with opposing arguments, Andrea says that she welcomes those with opinions as they often tend to create ideas that might have been overlooked. Regarding a specific meeting where outspoken opinions were common, Andrea fondly remembers how one woman thanked her for her duty and for listening to everyone, knowing that her opinion was distinctly different. Like many other members of the school board, Andrea wishes to continue making progress in education in Piedmont schools and providing a safe environment, and if this takes the next 20 years, then so be it.

    As I left the meeting, I was completely exhausted. Sitting in a chair for two hours winded me, yet I had a newfound appreciation for our school board members who do this every week. While citizens of Piedmont may not be concerned with actions of the School Board or are feeling out of the loop, there is only one thing that they need to know: they are in good hands.

by Addie Perkins, Piedmont High School Senior

Editors Note: Opinions expressed are those of the author.

Starting the meeting, Max Miller of Millennium High School, introduced himself and the recent events that have or will occur during the school year. After describing Back to School Night and showing gratitude for new teachers at Millennium, Miller praised the recent support of the student body at school events, encouraging them to continue doing so.

Subsequently, the President of the Board, Andrea Swenson, asked the audience if anyone had any topics they would like to bring to the table, outside of the listed agenda. One by one, three students rose and walked to the podium. Amelia Henry, a senior at Piedmont High School, started by vocalizing her thoughts about academic stress levels and inquiring about the possible ways to decrease them and ease the student body. Following her was Cole Bloomfield, who questioned the merit of summer homework. He noted that he had lost all of his summer working on AP class homework that was quickly tested and put aside for the school year. At a time where college applications were already raising stress levels, he felt that “[his] summer had been wasted” on summer assignments.

And finally, Addilynn Perkins talked about the fences around Wildwood School and the obstruction they caused as she had to walk all the way around them to reach her home, once the gates were locked. She realized that they were a safety precaution but wanted to let the Board know that they create an inconvenience to those living beyond the fence.

After a quick listing of ways for the community to get more involved by Superintendent Randall Booker, President Andrea Swenson, welcomed  Dr. Cheryl Wozniak and Stephanie Griffin to reveal the results of the 2016 CAASPP.

The CAASPP stands for the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, and recently replaced the STAR test that was administered in the PUSD. Being the second year in use, Griffin claimed that this computer based assessment was more precise and accurate about where a student was in their education level. Another benefit, mentioned by Dr. Wozniak, was that the CAASPP has a standardized measurement unlike the STAR test, allowing them to see how students are faring throughout the years and compare and contrast the relative scores.

After addressing the benefits of switching tests, Mrs. Griffin and Dr. Wozniak showed the Board the results of 2016 test on a powerpoint presentation. In all of California, 49% met or exceeded the standard needed to be prepared for college. Of this, only 37% of students in California met this mark in the mathematics section. Comparing this to the PUSD, 87% of students met or exceeded the standard for college with 87% of them meeting that standard in the mathematics testing. This contrast showed the success of the PUSD education department and thus they congratulated Superintendent Randall Booker, High School Principal Brent Daniels and their faculty. However, they noticed that 3% of students did not meet the mark in math and stated that Piedmont must do their best to remedy this small discrepancy.

96% of students took the test from Piedmont High School, Millennium and the Piedmont Middle School. Although only 10-13% did not meet the standard, and the PUSD scored a 97 on the ELA, Griffin stated that they needed to do better. Unfortunately, one must exceed the standard in order to be prepared for college level courses. She called attention to the Learning Center students and African American students in the district and how they could help them in their education.

Amid the applause, Rick Raushenbush, a Board member, expressed surprise and shock that the PUSD did not have 100% of their students meeting college criterias. He wondered what the problem was and how they could solve it. Superintendent Booker proposed that perhaps it was because it was the tests first year, and then turned towards the students in the audience asking if they had any input.

I, Sam Wen, a senior at Piedmont High School raised my hand and after being called on, walked to the podium to address the culture around the CAASPP. I expressed that the consequences of the CAASPP test was relatively unknown, being seen as merely something one should plow through and check off the graduation requirement list. I recalled how Mr. Daniels had told the class of 2017 that not enough of the seniors before us had taken the test, and that if we did likewise, Piedmont High School could be audited and this could drastically affect our college prospects. This was a surprise and unknown to me, as I did not know that the CAASPP test determined how colleges viewed our scores and thus our application to their colleges. I suggested that perhaps the school could educate future students on the consequences and importance of this test in order to create a culture around the CAASPP test and show them how it directly influenced their lives.

Two more students, Elisa Glauber and Elijah Levy, commented on how the CAASPP test seemed to be tacked onto the school schedule and that because the weight of the test was unknown and it was  the same week as normal school, tests and AP tests, they prioritized other things above the standardized test. They agreed that setting aside a special week for it, or clearing students schedules could help the results of the test. Mr. Booker nodded in agreement and thanked us for our input.

After this, the meeting was addressed the financial reports and half of the room quietly left, leaving the audience void of anyone except high school students. The Board talked about contracts and agreements on business services, curriculum and instruction and special education. They graciously accepted a $1,000 donation to the school’s Wellness Center, and hoped that they would receive more to help the program grow and relieve stress.

As the topic turned to school renovations, the Board seemed hesitant to improve the facilities because it pulled away from the General Fund. Although their budget allowed $190,000, they found that they were out of it, having spent $28,000 on the PHS Binks Gym and more on the PMS wall. Board Member Doug Ireland asked Mr. Booker whether this year had been merely expensive or if they needed to make the school budget bigger. Mr Booker replied that it was a combination of the two. He ended the discussion by encouraging members of Piedmont to get more involved and educate others about certain bills that would help their cause.

As the meeting concluded, I asked the president of the Board, Andrea Swenson, what sort of difficulties she wanted to remedy. She stated that although she was the president, she had equal power to other board members, Rick Raushenbush or Doug Ireland, and merely helped facilitate the meetings. She joined the Board in order to keep and maintain the close knit community in Piedmont. She wanted to “support kids and especially emotionally support them”, while “adequately preparing them” for college and life beyond. She tries to do this by hearing what students have to say and implementing their input. She sometimes has to deal with opposing opinions in public, however, although she may disagree, she respects the system and likes how it allows people to speak. Overall, she was very grateful to the students for coming and their input and encouraged us to continue to support the community she so dearly loved.

There is a School Board meeting once every two weeks, held in the Council Chambers of the City Hall, 120 Vista Avenue, Piedmont, beginning at 7:00 p.m.

By Samuel Wen, Piedmont High School Senior

Editors Note: Opinions expressed are those of the author.

       “The Beat (down) goes on”

I recently attended a beautiful memorial service for a 93-year old aunt, a much-beloved and longtime elementary school teacher. Her son, a senior member of the US State Department and ambassador to an eastern European country spoke eloquently about his mother’s influence on his life. In their last conversation, he thanked her for making him the man he is. In her infirmity but ever the teacher, she corrected him by saying she did not make him the man but rather allowed him to become the man he is.

I bring this up because the school district recently reported stellar results from last year’s CAASPP tests which replaced the previously administered STAR tests. Like our aunt, we can’t claim credit for the success of our great students. They do the work and put in the effort to excel in school and on these tests. It is the role of the district and the school board, like the mother cited above, to allow the students to become the individuals they are.

Our schools continue to shine and thus, attract families moving to the area. As they do, the demand bolsters local housing values. Good for the kids, good for parents, good for taxpayers with and without children in school. A win, win, win scenario. In other words, something to celebrate.

I’d like to thank The Piedmonter for recognizing this extraordinary success with their September 2 front page headline: “PUSD Student Test Scores Tops in Nor Cal.” In contrast, I continue to be baffled at the hostility leveled at the district administration and board by the Piedmont Post. Their latest page one featured a full color, detailed street sweeping schedule change and an assault on our superintendent. The CAASPP results, buried on page seven, paragraph four portrays a twisted sense of priorities for the paper.

Previously, the Post suggested the school administration is top heavy and the board is not scrutinizing district decisions. To the contrary, in anticipation of sweeping curricular and technological change, the board approved and the district created two director-level positions, Curriculum and Instruction (C&I) and Technology to prepare for those pending challenges. The tests, which our students just nailed, are in a new format covering new material. To achieve this result, common core standards were introduced as mandated by the state. Our fantastic, hardworking teachers incorporated those changes in their classrooms. And the tests were administered in a new format requiring computer competency. We took these measures by relying on the experts in the district office to educate us about emerging trends, articulate the needs for the district and identify the talent to insure continued excellence in our schools. And we now have results to support those moves.

Over the past year, the drumbeat of ongoing attacks from Post editorial staff with misleading or fabricated data, false allegations and sloppy reporting has endeavored to undermine Piedmont’s faith in the school board’s stewardship. Meanwhile, our schools continue to produce fabulous outcomes in graduation rates, college acceptances, student wellness, state testing and national rankings. This is tremendous success for which we all should be proud. And like our recently deceased aunt, we don’t claim to have made these students who they are but we believe we are providing a platform from which they can soar. I hope you’ll agree.

Doug Ireland, PUSD School Board Member

Editors Note:  Opinions expressed are those of the author.  

The Piedmont Civic Association on August 31, 2016 published an article on the CAASPP scores which can be read here< “Piedmont Schools Show Excellent Results on Statewide Tests.”

“The Piedmont Post Again Makes Baseless Attacks on School District – “

The Sept. 7, 2016 Piedmont Post includes a front page article entitled “School Supt. Sidesteps public hiring in naming Director of Athletics.”  Once again, the Post disregards basic journalistic integrity in making baseless accusation and insinuations against the Superintendent.  The Post’s bias is evident by the placement of this claptrap on the front page, while burying on page 7, with the ho-hum headline “PUSD scores well in new state testing,” the news that Piedmont students’ scores on CAASPP testing for unified school districts tied for 1^st in California in math and 3^rd in the State for English Language Arts.  The flaws in the Post’s reporting include:

• The Post asserts that Superintendent Booker’s hiring of the Athletic Director “displayed an attempt to limit publicity and avoid an open search process.”  Not true.  As the Post knows, “the District advertised the position to recruit an Interim Athletics Director on a contract basis for January through June of 2016.  The District received 22 applications.  An interview committee, consisting of administrators, coaches, and parents, interviewed five candidates.  Mr. Victor Acuña was selected for the interim position due to his extensive experience and positive recommendations.”  http://www.piedmont.k12.ca.us/blog/2016/08/09/joint-letter-to-families-from-the-superintendent-and-phs-principal-re-director-of-athletics-position/.  If the Post means to suggest that the District needed to repeat this process for the 2016-17 school year, after the District and parents were delighted with Mr. Acuna’s performance to complete the 2015-16 school year, that is ridiculous. By failing to mention the open search process, the Post misleads.
• The Post article provides a lengthy discussion of the CSEA collective bargaining contract with the District. One might think the CSEA contract somehow applies to the Athletic Director position—otherwise, why would the Post discuss it?  But it does not, as the Post was informed when it contacted the District.  The Athletic Director position is “classified management” because it does not require an academic administrative credential.  Use of the word “classified” does not render the position subject to the CSEA contract.  The Post declined an offer to discuss any questions with the Superintendent.  Why would an “investigative journalist” decline a chance to interview the obvious target of the article?  Don’t facts matter?
• The Post continues to comment that it has not been given Mr. Acuna’s resume. The Superintendent long ago informed the Post that the District does not give out information that includes an employee’s personal information.  However, the Superintendent provided the Post with all the information about Mr. Acuna’s prior employment.  There is no issue.
• • In fact, the Post is fully aware of Mr. Acuna’s previous jobs. The Post reporter called Mr. Acuna’s supervisors at two former jobs posing as someone conducting “reference checks.”  When challenged, as both already had provided reference checks to the District and knew Mr. Acuna was working here, she admitted she was from the Post.  Please note that the Post previously accused the District of not conducting reference checks—I suspect we will wait a long time for an apology from the Post.
  • The Post asserts the “title of the newly created job is misleading.” It is hard to see how.  Acuna oversees all PHS athletics, which are the only athletic programs the District runs.  He oversees all athletic facilities, including District facilities used by the Rec Dept., which runs non-school programs for PMS and elementary students.

  Basic journalistic ethics requires at least some attempt to provide accurate information.  The Post seems to go out of its way to avoid accurate reporting, ignoring the information it is given and declining to meet with the Superintendent.  I am finishing up 8.5 years on the School Board.  Throughout Superintendent Hubbard’s tenure, the Post levied unsupported attack after attack on her and the District.  Now, this sad Post tradition seems to be continuing over to Superintendent Booker.

  Given the tremendous job being done by our education professionals in Piedmont, the reason for these attacks are a mystery.  But it is harmful.  The District is not able to match salaries paid by many surrounding school districts, but has been able to attract talented people because it is a great place to work.  The Post’s attacks undermine that feeling of community support and appreciation.  Families also move to town because of the great schools.  The Post’s baseless attacks harm that reputation as well.

  Rick Raushenbush, School Board Member

Editors Note: Opinions expressed are those of the author.

The Facilities Steering Committee: A Step in the Journey from Context to Form. 

The ultimate object of design is form. To design is to fit a form to a context. The context includes all the constraints into which the form has to fit. The context reduces the set of possible forms. In some way, design is simple: understand the context, and then apply the appropriate set of engineering disciplines and trade arts to shape a form that fits. There is plenty of room for creativity and outstanding solutions provided they are grounded in the context. 

In the 2015 summer, the District launched a process to develop a plan to upgrade our secondary school facilities. Our superintendent leveraged internal expertise and an external consultant to assess the state of the facilities. In parallel he organized a number of meetings with parents, teachers, students, and the community at large to shape the broad parameters of the educational needs, another essential part of the context, with the goal of looking ahead:

How should we educate our students to best prepare them to function in our 21st century economy? What facilities do we need to support these evolving methods? These efforts were completed in January 2016 and resulted in two documents published on the PUSD website and presented to the Board of Education: the DRAFT Facility Site Assessment Report and a DRAFT Educational Specifications Report. 

It became clear that the context is very constraining and that the cost of meeting all the needs far exceeds the District maximum bonding capacity under a single measure. So choices have to be made. 

Tasked to make a recommendation on how to proceed, the Superintendent invited a number of Piedmont residents to join him, his senior staff, and a couple of Board members to form a Facilities Steering Committee and help shape that recommendation. I accepted to serve. From my experience in industry, reflection among a small committee was what was needed at this step in the process. 

The committee was disbanded in May having performed its functions. Its composition was very diverse with Piedmont residents from different professional backgrounds and perspectives. Our central focus was what would best serve our students. We functioned as a sounding board for the Superintendent and his staff in assessing the context and in helping generate, evaluate, and criticize potential forms that would fit. We were pressed by the Superintendent to help him set priorities so that forms could be designed to fit the financial constraint. Each one of us reached out to our friends in the community for help. My point of view was biased towards enhancing facilities to support a first class high school STEAM curriculum (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics): our Bay Area economy is driven by creativity and creativity is rooted in these disciplines. Others emphasized the poor state of our Magnolia facilities, the substandard classroom sizes, the importance of fundamentals (we are a High School, not a College), the comforts of our teachers and students (better noise insulation, air conditioning, …)… 

Most meetings were shaped by the presentation of conceptual plans with cost estimates worked out by the District Facilities Manager that reflected changes in priorities argued in previous discussions. We worked out two major forms with options. Our final report to the Board “Recommending a $65 Million Bond Measure” is available on the school website (attachment to the May 25 School Board Meeting agenda) and includes the following main points: 

● The Board should not seek to “do the minimum” by only repairing buildings or replacing failing systems at the middle and high schools. This would not meet the most urgent of the educational needs, and in the medium term would be money wasted as major renovations will have to be eventually made to an aged campus. 

● The Board  should seek voter approval to issue school bonds at its available bonding capacity to address the bulk of the educational needs. 

● Confirming that it is not possible to address all of the needs within the bonding capacity, the Committee suggested a specific list of priorities. 

● The final form should be shaped through an open public process and flexibility be built into the bond measure. More community input is needed to review and make the final trade­offs. 

● A specific design is not recommended, as the die is far from being cast. The work is not lost, as the District Facilities Manager retains the designs done for future elaboration. 

I stand by the work done by the committee. As a former active opponent to the 2014 Measure H, I support Measure H1 put by the Board on the November ballot. The District has done its homework. But much more needs to be done: for example, we did not have time to research what other peer districts have done when faced with similar issues, and how well their projects have worked out. 

As a member of our vibrant community, you need to make up your mind on the Measure and select the board members which will implement an open transparent process and ensure accountability, both paramount given the flexibility built into the Measure. I urge the local professional expertise and educational/executive talent to get involved and bring new perspectives that will maximize the value obtained from our taxes and lead to such a compelling form that the entire community will say: “This is the obvious thing to do for our students; let us work out all the problems to make it happen”. 

 Bernard Pech, Piedmont Resident

Editors Note:  Opinions expressed are those of the author. The Piedmont Civic Association does not support or oppose ballot measures.

School Board Members Respond to Piedmont Post’s Claims about the District Administration

 As a board, we all agree that the press plays an important role in providing information to the community, but it can be harmful when inaccurate claims are made, whatever the cause of such mistakes. Although School Board members (all volunteers) cannot respond to all inaccuracies in the Piedmont Post, we think it important to respond to the Post’s recent article, “School District’s Top-Heavy Administration.”

The District administration provides management, guidance and support for 502 District employees who teach, serve, support and provide a variety of programs to 2701 students.  The administration consists of a Superintendent (Randy Booker), an Assistant Superintendent and Chief Business Officer (Song Chin-Bendib), a Director of Curriculum & Instruction (Cheryl Wozniak), a Director of Instructional Technology (Stephanie Griffith), a Director of Adult and Alternative Education, who also manages the Wellness Center (Michael Brady), a Director of Special Education (Julie Valdez), a Director of Facilities (Pete Palmer), a Director of Fiscal Services (Michelle Nguyen), and a Director of Athletics (Vic Acuna).  Each of these dedicated individuals provides valuable and necessary services to the District.

The Post article does not challenge that such administrators are needed and that they do an excellent job for our children.  Instead, the Post implies that the Board has failed to provide oversight, the public has had no chance to comment, and that there are too many administrators.  The facts are otherwise.

•       The Post asserts that administration “changes appear to have occurred with limited oversight or input from members of the Piedmont School Board.”  Not true.  Not only are such staffing changes found in the public agendas (which every Board member reads), but Board members were and are aware of proposed administration staffing before staffing changes are made through frequent individual meetings with the Superintendent, which often address staffing and morale, and confidential performance reviews,  including the Superintendent’s management and plans for the administration.  Board members can and do email or call the Superintendent frequently about District issues, and that has included administration organization and staffing.

•       The Post asserts that “only one of the four new contracts was subject to board approval and open to public discussion.”  Not true, as admitted later in the article.  Each contract was presented in the Board’s public agenda as a consent item.  Routine matters not expected to be of public interest often are placed on the consent agenda.  A member of the public may ask to speak regarding consent items, and any Board member may ask to remove an item from the consent agenda for discussion.  No such request or public comment was made.

•       The Post asserts that the District’s Chief Business Officer (and Assistant Superintendent) “is now being paid over $217,000  a year in base salary.”  Not true.  Ms. Chin-Bendib started at an annual salary of $165,871 for 205 workdays, and now receives a base salary of $178,750 for 215 workdays.  The Board is aware of competitive salaries for CBOs in the Bay Area, and is pleased to have Ms. Chin-Bendib serving as our CBO.

•       With full support of the Board, Superintendent Booker has reorganized administrative roles and responsibilities in the District office to meet evolving educational and administrative needs.  Mr. Booker has flattened the organization structure by not replacing a second Assistant Superintendent and, instead, having Directors that mostly report directly to him.  The Directors provide the expertise to properly serve our student population, including: managing changes in curricula and programs; supporting the approximately 15% of District students who require special education services; developing and supporting technology infrastructure and services; managing maintenance and construction at the schools where our children learn; and providing the operational expertise to keep the District in compliance with federal and state requirements, as well as to meet the high expectations of the Board and the community.

Our community, parents, students and Board members expect a lot from our schools.  We expect them to be well-managed, and to serve the many and varied educational needs of our children.  Contrary to the assertion in the Post, the administration is not “top-heavy,” it is right-sized.  The excellent performance of our students and the support provided to our educational community show it.

Rick Raushenbush
Amal Smith
School Board Members

Editors Note:  Opinions expressed are those of the authors.