Vote Tuesday on Measures B & E

I believe that Measures B & E are good for Piedmont, both for the schools and for the community. I know that there is opposition to both measures, but overall, as you drive through town, you’ll see an abundance of Yes on B & E signs. Piedmonters are proud of their community and the schools are a big part of what makes Piedmont a great place to live.

No one moved to Piedmont because of the low property taxes. People move here for the small town community, the police and fire services, and most of all, for the excellent public schools.

It’s clear to me that the state government will take what it can from cities, counties, schools, and health services to cover budgetary shortcomings. The parcel tax is money that stays in Piedmont no matter what the legislature does. It goes directly to Piedmont schools.

Whatever your position, take the time to vote on Tuesday. The community’s decision on that day will affect you as a homeowner and resident whether you have children in the school or not. You should be part of that decision. I hope you’ll join me in supporting B&E.

–L

Parkway Theater

This community meeting notice came to me from the City Homestead blog. Check out the meeting at Rooz Cafe on Piedmont Avenue this Sunday…details below.

When: THIS Sunday, May 31st, 3 pm to 5 pm
Where: Rooz Cafe, 1918 Park Boulevard
Why: Learn what the future may hold for the Parkway, and provide your own ideas and input.

From the organizers:

“We will bring the lowdown on the recent investor activity regarding the Parkway Theater. You will bring your diverse and rich experience, and a passion for movies, food, and drink. Together, we will construct our collective vision for the new Parkway.

The visioning process has already been done at previous I Like The Parkway meetings and through the spare time of various volunteers. This go-’round, we’ll be working off of those initial efforts to distill the community’s true desires for their beloved Parkway into a nice, digestible package for potential investors. The results of these discussions, along with our survey, will be part of the toolset that we will present to the investors that will help guide them in their processes, and ultimately will help us determine if we as a community should endorse them (we hope so!). Come join us!”

Can’t make it to the meeting? You can still offer your ideas through the group’s web survey.

Havens – Emeryville Bus Routes

Curious where the bus routes from Piedmont to Emeryville will be for Havens students next year and/or whether there might be a stop in front of your house?  Check out this site:  http://www.piedmontschoolbus.org/.   I’m told the routes might change before the June 4, 2009 public meeting (7:00 at the PMS Multi-purpose room) – which is why they aren’t currently advertised for comment to the general public – but if you have some thoughts now, please contact your school board or bfeusier@piedmont.k12.ca.us.

Drew

Bike-to-Work Update

Click to learn more about commuting by bicycle.

So, it’s Bike Month and Bike-to-Work day was almost two weeks ago. We’re still riding in. So far this month I have a 4 for 5 and two 5 for 5 weeks. Four other coworkers are committed to riding as part of the Team Bike Challenge. We also have a couple of other coworkers who occasionally ride or at least ride at lunch instead of taking the car.

How many of you participated in BTWD? How did it go? Did you stop at an Energizer Station? Congrats to Dale, who rode in a couple of days that week. Readers, please leave a comment if you participated.

From Guatemala, with Love

Piedmont High School Graduates start a scholarship program in Rabinal, Guatemala and bring back letters of hope and gratitude

After witnessing the dismal health conditions faced by Guatemalan families living in poverty, Piedmont High School 2004 graduates Michael Bakal and Amy Yam founded Voces y Manos por el Derecho a la salud (Voice and Hands for the Right to health) an organization dedicated to addressing health needs in Guatemala.  They began their work in 2007 by coordinating community health fairs that provided comprehensive preventive and curative health services.  But when they heard Guatemalan Nobel Prize winner Rigoberta Menchu declare: “it is not until we have more Indigenous doctors and nurses who speak the language of the people will health conditions truly be improved”, they realized they had to broaden their vision.

Heading Menchu’s call, Voces y Manos established a scholarship fund that has assisted Guatemalan youth embark on the academic journey to careers in nursing, education, and medicine.  The community health fairs have thus become a springboard to something much greater: an opportunity to inspire local Indigenous youth to bring health to their communities.

Voces y Manos is hosting an open house event at the Kehilla Synagogue—1300 Grand Avenue—in Piedmont On Sunday, May 31^st, 2009 from 4-6pm. The Bay Area community, along with current and past sponsors, are invited to attend.  Letters from scholarship recipients will be read by Piedmont Middle and High School students, light refreshments will be served and all will be invited to enjoy items in the Guatemalan art and artifacts display.  You will also get a chance to hear what Voces y Manos and partner organizations have planned for this summer.

If you would like to bring art or artifacts from Guatemala, or to share your own story about the human right to health please, contact Lisa Gardner-Event Coordinator at 510-867-9221.  For more information, to volunteer or to donate to Voces y Manos go to www.vocesymanos.org or contact Michael Bakal at michaelbakal@gmail.com.

Bike-to-Work Day is Thursday, May 14th

May is Bike Month and this Thursday is Bike-to-Work Day. Get out your bike and ride!

In addition to a group of us meeting to ride to work on Thursday, my coworkers and I are participating in the Team Bike Challenge. On our team of 5 riders, we have three riders who ride to work 4 or 5 days a week and as often as possible on weekends and are committed to riding during the month of May. The other two riders on the team try to ride as often as they can, even though it’s not everyday. Sometimes it’s as simple as riding the bike to get your latte instead of hopping in the car. The farmers market, a quick trip to Trader Joe’s, or to the local park or market are all good reasons to ride the bike. I rode my bike to coach soccer my son’s team last fall.

If you are heading out on Thursday, be sure to check out the “Energizer Stations” where you can pick up a musette bag of goodies and bike-related SWAG. Some stations also offer refreshments. See the full list of Energizer Stations in the east bay.

For route planning, check out Bikely.com, a great bike mapping resource. For more info on local biking, see Walk Oakland Bike Oakland (aka WOBO) and the East Bay Bike Coalition.

Hope to see you on the road Tuesday!

–L

B & E in Brief

The ballots are here – Vote YES by mail today!

Why vote YES on both B & E?

Measure B

• California underfunds schools – we rank 46th in the nation on spending per pupil.
• Piedmont’s response for the last 24 years has been to invest locally controlled funds from a School parcel Tax that gets has been renewed every four since 1985.
• Measure B is a consolidation and simple renewal of existing taxes – Measure B will NOT increase your taxes

Measure E

• Due the current California State budget crisis school funding has been cut even more.
• These cuts will &ct the classroom.
• Measure E is a temporary (3 year) measure designed to only partially offset the latest cuts.
• Measure E will add less than $20/month to the average household’s tax bill.

Did you realize that even if B & E pass, there will be cuts?

Assuming that B&E pass and the State budget situation does not worsen, the equivalent of 55 full
time teachers and 5 full time support staff will be eliminated by:

• Increasing class sizes in grades 6-12
• cutting back on administrative staff services
• Reducing counseling time
• Reducing classroom aides and occupational therapist time
• Cutting back on ground services and facilities maintenance

If Measure E doesn’t pass, cuts will be more drastic

In addition to the above cutbacks, the equivalent of 3.5 full time teachers and 6 MI time support
staff members will also be eliminated by reduction of:

• Classroom aides in Grades K-3
• Library services and library assistants and for K-12
• K-12 counseling services
• Positions such as high school department chairs, activities coaches, music accompanists
• PMS/PHS administrative support
• Custodial staff K-12

The Challenge

1. Approve Measures B & E by the required 2/3 majority of voters [66.7%), when nearly 70% of Piedmonters don’t have kids in school.

Concerned? What you can do!

1. Get Out the vote -yours, every voter in your family and your neighbors -for both B & E in the June 2 election
   • Help combat the low expected turnout for single issue June 2 B&E election
   • Last day to register to vote May 18

   http://www.sos.gov/elections/elections_vr.htm

2. Vote by mail TODAY! Ballots arrived this week
   • If you vote by mail, your ballot anived this week Send it in ASAP!
   • Otherwise, request an absentee ballot ASAP
   • Last day to register for absentee ballot is May 26
3. Register as an Endorser
   http://www.yesonbande.org/how-you-can-help/endorse_email
4. Register for a Yes on B & E Lawn Sign
   http://www.yesonbande.org/how-you-can-help/lawnsign_email

Want more info or to help?

Visit our website at www.YESonBandE.org

NEXT PUSD GREEN INITIATIVE MEETING: WASTE REDUCTION – 5/14/09

The PUSD Green Initiative Committee will hold its next meeting on Thursday, May 14 at 3:30 p.m. at the School District offices (760 Magnolia). The focus of discussion will be waste reduction, beginning with reports from the elementary schools on their pilot programs in green waste collection. Discussion will then focus on developing an overall vision and goals for waste reduction across all the grade levels (K-12). The public is encouraged to attend and make comments.

Everybody Has a Story

Everybody Has a Story: An Evening of Improv Theatre Celebrating Our Connections and Our Differences

The Piedmont Appreciating Diversity Committee (PADC) and the Piedmont Parents Network are pleased to announce a performance by The Living Arts Playback Theatre Ensemble (www.livingarts.org) on Thursday, May 14 at 7 p.m. in the Ellen Driscoll Auditorium.

This performance, featuring Piedmont Middle School teacher Gina McKuen (Core 7, Shakespeare 7/8, Drama 7/8), will focus on personal stories that celebrate our connections and our differences. Audience members will be invited to share stories on this theme and watch them enacted improvisationally. Bring a story to tell or simply watch the drama unfold. The goal of the evening is to celebrate the community and connection among the people of Piedmont by honoring the dignity, drama, and universality in their stories. This event is appropriate for ages 10 and up; babysitting for younger school-age children will be available for a nominal fee.

Other supporters of the event include: Piedmont Unified School District, Beach Parent Organization, Havens Parent Club, PMS Parent Club, Piedmont Asian American Club, Piedmont Educational Foundation, Piedmont League of Women Voters, Parent Education, PRAISE, and The Wellness Center.

Please contact Dana Schwartz-Benedetto: danaschwartz510@email.com or Lisa Gardner: hawaiianlion5@sbcglobal.net with any questions.

An Afternoon with Kelly Corrigan

Nationally Recognized Keynote Speaker and Bestselling author of “The Middle Place”

May 17th, Sunday 4:00 PM
Piedmont High School Alan Harvey Theater
800 Magnolia Avenue, Piedmont

Tickets $40* includes a copy of Kelly’s book For tickets go to www.piedmont.k12.ca.us/phs and follow the links

Hosted by the Ann Martin Center & the Piedmont High School’s Parents’ Club, this

EVENT BENEFITS THE ANN MARTIN CENTER AND THE PIEDMONT UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT’S WELLNESS CENTER

Laugh, cry and bond with the captivating Kelly Corrigan as she shares her humor and insights on life, family and surviving cancer. Learn more about Kelly and watch her YouTube video “Transcending” which has received over 4 million hits on her web-site: www.KellyCorrigan.com

The Ann Martin Center is a non-profit organization that provides psychotherapy, educational therapy and diagnostic testing to youth and their families in their two Piedmont clinics and five Oakland public school based programs The Wellness Center provides services to promote emotional, physical and social well-being for Piedmont & Millennium High School and Piedmont Middle school students.

* Your donation is tax deductible as allowed by law