Excellent publication by the California Association of School Board Officials (CASBO) about “What Every Board Member and Candidate Should Know” regarding School Finances in California. A must read to really understand school funding!
Randall BookerSuperintendent Piedmont Unified School District
You can still drop off your heavy ballot with No Stamps in the Alameda County Registrar of Voters maintained Ballot Drop Box in Piedmont on Highland Way at Mountain Avenue next to the Post boxes and Book Drop Box behind the Wells Fargo Bank. Ballots will be retrieved three times on Monday and Tuesday.
City of Piedmont
Joint Park Commission and
Recreation Commission
Wednesday, November 7, 2018
Receipt of a Report on the Revised Conceptual Plan for the Linda Beach Master Plan and
Consideration of a Recommendation to the City Council on Next Steps
A summary of the distinguishing attributes of the revised plan are as follows:
As a retired CPA, I applied my auditing experience to the Piedmont School Board for this election. About two years ago, I sensed that something was amiss when I read reports that PUSD refinanced some bonds to a type (called CAB) that roughly quadrupled the bond’s interest expense. So, using KCOM’s online video archives I studied the applicable archives. I know the justifications that many board members used for this school financing. But I find their decision outlandish. Ultimately, the School Board reversed its error and switched back to CIB financing, which saved the district from incurring an additional $26 million dollars in wasteful interest expense. As the public archives confirm, Dr. Titan’s leadership led to this $26 million savings.
If you’ve never attended a PUSD board meeting, please go to KCOM (Channel 27) and view any meeting in the archive. You will begin to appreciate the dedication, determination, and backbone needed to accomplish what Titan has.
If you have been following the employment issues relating to the rogue teacher-student conduct, or the embarrassing decision to appoint Victor Acuna as full-time athletic director at roughly $120,000 per year. Ask yourself, do you want a board member that has the backbone and perseverance to defend our students from such egregious personnel issues?
Prior to this election, I didn’t know Dr. Titan or any of the school board candidates, so I made a concerted effort to meet them, and study their prospective contributions. I listened to them at two separate parents’ club candidate forums and via KCOM, I watched them speak at Piedmont’s League of Women voters’ forum. It’s clear they are all nice people who want to make a difference for our schools.
But when you step into the election booth, set aside your friendships and vote responsibly for the one candidate that since 2013 has been working as a citizen watchdog to ensure proper conduct at PUSD. Titan will provide the stewardship need now on Piedmont’s school board.
Dai Meagher, CPA (inactive & retired)
We’ve all heard that old adage, “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.” That’s what comes to mind with Measures BB and CC on the upcoming ballot.
The proponents of BB and CC claim they are merely updates to our “outdated” City Charter and will result in more openness and transparency. But when you look at what’s actually proposed, you’ll realize that BB and CC do more harm than good.
Measure BB proposes to change at least fourteen sections of the City Charter.
Although the proponents of Measure BB claim it merely updates the City Charter, it’s so much more than that. It impacts several key areas, among them being the elimination of competitive bidding. BB allows Council to raise and, in some cases, waive competitive bidding thresholds. So voting for this measure gives carte blanche for city contracts to bypass competitive bidding. As written, this aspect of Measure BB could have tremendous negative financial impacts on the city.
Measure BB would also impact the election and meeting requirements of the City Council by eliminating the need for twice-monthly meetings and changing the interval from the current four years to eight years (two terms) before a City Council member could run again. School Board members have this same four-year interval, and they are not seeking a change.
Measure CC abolishes Council authority to discipline city staff.
These proposed changes weaken the authority of the City Council and decrease the public’s opportunities to participate in city government and hold its council members accountable.
Piedmont’s department heads – Police, Fire, Recreation Director, Finance, etc. – are currently hired and fired by City Council, allowing the Council to be aware of the workings of various city departments and providing accountability to the public from their elected representatives. Measure CC weakens this authority by giving all responsibility to the unelected City Administrator to evaluate and terminate city employees. This proposed change creates obstacles that currently don’t exist, removes transparency, and is rife with unforeseen consequences, including potential decreases in morale, increases in employee turnover, and wrongful termination lawsuits.
The City Charter has been serving Piedmont well since its last revision forty years ago. It’s not broken. The ballot text for Measures BB and CC don’t tell the whole story. Visit http://www.ci.piedmont.ca.us/city-council-places-charter-measures-on-ballot/to see what these measures really do.
Please join me in voting NO on Measures BB and CC.
Melanie Robertson, Former Piedmont Planning Commissioner
Measure CC is a power grab and proponents of CC completely misstate the way City Hall is run as justification.
Measure CC is completely ineffective at telling voters what it will do.
First, as written, Measure CC is completely ineffective at telling voters what it will do. It should have read: “Shall the measure to amend the City Charter to reassign authority to terminate City department heads from City Council to the City Administrator be adopted”. Same word count. Such text would be much more informative to the voters and the fact that Measure CC is drafted so poorly should tell you something.
Measure CC reassigns important oversight authority from Council to the City Administrator with no justification on the record.
Second, from the Mayor in a recent news account: “[The Charter] contains language that suggests that the City Council is responsible for managing and directing the work of City officers. The Piedmont City Attorney strongly recommended that this ambiguity be clarified…” Read that carefully – “suggests” and “ambiguity” – if true then simply clarify the Charter language and keep the current reporting structure in place. Instead Measure CC reassigns important oversight authority from Council to the City Administrator with no justification on the record.
Grab or giveaway, Measure CC is bad for Piedmont and reduces the authority of our elected officials. Coupled with Measure BB (fewer meetings, less voter choice), these measures weaken good governance in Piedmont and should be rejected by the voters.
Garrett Keating, Former Piedmont City Council Member
Election Day is upon us and I am endorsing Megan Pillsbury to take my open seat on the Piedmont School Board. She has the skills and perspective to add real value to the board and its work.
First, she has an abiding love for teaching and nurturing of the joy of learning. She demonstrated that love in her career teaching in our schools and contributing to other institutions of learning in the bay area.
Having taught in our schools, Megan understands the culture we hope to maintain, appreciates the expectations of students and parents, knows the desires and values of our teachers and can speak with authority to the administration about the issues facing the district. In this time of increasing challenges of teacher recruitment, retention and compensation, Megan’s background is valuable.
As a parent of three children who successfully completed our K-12 program, she will bring a unique perspective balancing program needs, parental wishes and budget constraints. Sometimes parents with students still in district haven’t developed the ability to look through the long lens required of good school stewards.
Megan is a kind and dedicated citizen prepared for and willing to do the hard work required in this position. I support her candidacy and hope you will too with a vote for her in our upcoming election.
Doug Ireland, Member of Piedmont School Board
October 29, 2018
PUSD Families, Students, and Educators –
It is with great sorrow that I reach out to all of you this morning. Over the past week, there have been multiple acts of hate and violence across our country, most recently with the attack on members at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. As the Piedmont Community stands united against hate, we recognize that an attack against any Jewish Community is an attack on all. I stand resolute in my belief that violence and hate, especially in a place of worship, is evil, indefensible, unjustifiable, and reprehensible.
I know I’m linked arm and arm with the PUSD Board of Education, Piedmont City Council, educators, families, and students when I denounce these actions—whether they occur across the country or in our own backyard.
As we mourn this tragedy, I wanted to make sure to provide resources from the Anti-Defamation League to help our staff, families, and students process, talk about, and heal from these senseless acts of violence and hate:
- Discussing Hate and Violence with Children
- Gun Violence and Mass Shootings
- Empowering Young People in the Aftermath of Hate
- Helping Students Make Sense of News Stories About Bias and Injustice
- Challenging Anti-Semitism: Debunking the Myths and Responding with Facts
I also wanted to take this opportunity to share what our students in Piedmont are doing to educate and combat hate and discrimination.
A few days before the attack in Pittsburg, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Cheryl Wozniak had been in communication with two high school students who co-lead the Voice Collaborative (VoCo), a student-led group that invites speakers to come and present to high school students. They had invited a Holocaust survivor to come and speak to over 100 PHS and MHS students during their lunch. We asked the VoCo leaders if they would write a short message to the Jewish Families of Piedmont (JFP) describing this incredible turn-out, and they responded on Friday, the day before the attack, with this note:
Dear Jewish Families of Piedmont Group,
We invited a Holocaust survivor named Arthur Weil (also a member of the Piedmont community) to come speak at PHS on Wednesday, October 24th during lunch. Through his slideshow presentation and speech, Mr. Weil informed students about the personal experience he, his friends, and family had during this traumatic event and allowed for students to better understand the true impact such event can have on an individual’s life and how to move on from such an event. (Instead of hearing facts like the do in school, they heard his personal story from the source, which I think is very important and possibly their only chance to have such an opportunity.)
After the presentation, students asked great questions, one being “What is the most important take-away we should remember from this event?” Afterwards, students reported to me that they really enjoyed his presentation and thought it was very impactful because Mr. Weil included the crucial details of the experience which truly resonated with them and let them see the true injustice these people were undergoing.
Our attendance for this event was extraordinary. I had never seen our theater so full of students for an optional event! Mr. Weil even provided some of his poetry books which were gone within the first 5 minutes! The crowd was extremely respectful, and seemed to be very engaged to Mr. Weil. I think it was a wonderful experience for all who attended.
I would like to quote Dr. Wozniak in her message to the Jewish Families of Piedmont as I believe it encapsulates all of what we truly believe:
“In a world where hateful acts against innocent people continue to dominate the headlines, amazing acts of beauty, kindness, and goodwill toward others also take place. The acts of our young people give me great hope for the future. I hope that in this dark and sad time that you find some comfort from knowing that Piedmont’s high school students chose to honor the life of Mr. Weil by giving him their time and respect–hearing his personal story so they can learn from the past and carry forward his message.”
My heart goes out to all of the families who attend the Tree of Life Synagogue—they will continue to be in my thoughts and prayers.
Sincerely,
Randall Booker
Superintendent, Piedmont Unified School District
“If we create a culture where every educator believes they need to improve, not because they are not good enough but because they can be even better, there is no limit to what we can achieve.”
– Dylan WiliamPiedmont Unified School District
760 Magnolia Avenue
Piedmont, CA 94611
510.594.2614 office
On October 24th, I attended the Piedmont Board of Education Meeting. It took place in City Hall and these meeting occur twice a month. The purpose of the meeting was to review and discuss activities in the Piedmont Unified School District. There were four main items that were discussed at the meeting.
First was the approval of the 2018 Piedmont High School Accrediting Commission for School Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACS WASC) Self Study Report. Before this item was approved an extensive presentation was given by Piedmont High School Principal Adam Littlefield and Piedmont High School Social Studies teacher Dave Keller. They elaborated on the process of accreditation and how WASC representatives will be visiting Piedmont High School from November 4th through November 7th. After the presentation the item was unanimously approved by the Board.
The second item that was discussed was the approval of the 2018 Piedmont Adult School Accrediting Commission for School Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACS WASC) Initial Visit Report. Millennium High School Principal and Piedmont Adult School Principal Shannon Fierro gave an informative presentation on the initial accreditation process that Piedmont Adult School is undergoing. This will accredit them for two years after which they can apply for a full accreditation, which lasts six years. The WASC representatives visited Piedmont Adult School on October 25th. The item was unanimously approved by the Board.
The third item that was discussed was a review of the 2018-2019 General Fund Working Budget and Multi-Year Projections and the authorization of appropriate budget transfers. A lengthy presentation was given on the budget by Ruth Alahydoian, the Chief Financial Officer for the district. The District is over budget and will not meet the 3% required reserve. Ms. Alahydoian stressed the importance of taking action to ensure that this reserve is met in future years. The budget transfers were all unanimously authorized by the Board.
The final main item from the meeting was an update on the School Support Tax and timeline. The current School Support Tax is going to expire on June 31, 2021. This tax is on the 3,921 taxable parcels in Piedmont. It raises $10 million dollars for the district which is around 25% of the district’s $40 million dollars worth of revenues. In the spring of 2019 the Board will poll the citizens and hold public meetings on the topic. There will be campaigning in the fall of 2019 leading up to the election in November of 2019.
I spoke on the issue of the School Support Tax. I advocated for student involvement in the public meetings and in the campaigning. They are the group that is going to be most significantly impacted by whether the tax passes or not. Without the money from the tax, the program across all Piedmont Schools will be significantly changed for the worse. Students could get involved by creating flyers and short PSAs advertising the public meetings in the spring. They can also help with the canvassing that is going to be happening in the fall. The Board should get students involved with this process.
I interviewed Board of Education Member Sarah Pearson. She was at the meeting because she is the President of the School Board. As an elected official Dr. Pearson has to listen to the difficulties and problems brought forth by the community. Given the information that was presented during the meeting by the Chief Financial Officer, Dr. Pearson is concerned about the budget. The next step is at the Budget Advisory Committee Meeting on November 8th the Chief Financial Officer will present a much more in depth breakdown of district expenses.
by Anna Smegal, Piedmont High School Senior
Why I believe that Measure CC should be rejected by Piedmont voters.
Measure CC has no credible factual support in the public record. It is void of any demonstrable need. It is poorly designed. It is totally without conceivable merit. It turns good governance on its head. If adopted Measure CC would only underscore the present Council’s abdication of its responsibility to the public and waste of public resources in proposing to the voters such a vacuous and worthless proposition.
I was a California public agency lawyer for the 34 years before I retired in 2006. One of my primary responsibilities as a lawyer was providing legal advice and legal services regarding the Oakland City Charter provisions applicable to the independent Oakland Port Department. I was certified by the State Bar to provide legal instruction to members of the State Bar regarding the Oakland City Charter, and Bar members who received my instruction received credit toward their mandatory continuing legal education requirements.
The Oakland City Charter provided that the Board of Port Commissioners was responsible to both hire and fire Port officers and employees. Neither the authority and responsibility of the Port’s Executive Director for the day-to-day performance of all non-Port Attorney staff Port officers and employees, nor the authority and responsibility of the Port Attorney for the day-to-day performance of all Port Attorney staff, ran into any conflict with the Board’s exclusive power to hire and fire all Port officers and employees.
Practically, the Board acted on recommendations of the Executive Director or Port Attorney regarding proposed hiring and firing, but importantly the necessity that the Executive Director and Port Attorney justify to the Board in advance of proposed and recommended hiring and firing avoided serious disruptions, damage and liabilities that a runaway Executive Director or Port Attorney could cause.
The hiring and firing authority for top City officers should be unitary so that the authority to hire and authority to fire rest in the same hands, and that authority rightly belongs to the legislative body, not one of its appointed officers. No better day-to-day measure that combined hiring and firing authority will timely inform a City Council of the health and status of the public agency than its receiving advance notice of proposed and recommended hiring and firing of the public personnel responsible for carrying out the very public functions for which the Council or board is primarily responsible.
In Measure CC, the present Council for no good public reason effectively proposes to grant a veto power to the City Administrator over the Council’s hiring decisions. The Measure CC proposal by the present Council and each of its Councilmembers is a disgraceful failure to carry out their public obligations. The lack of any credible rationale for the proposed Measure CC suggests, at best, unanimous Councilmember thoughtlessness and laziness.
Thomas D. Clark, Piedmont Resident
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