Your logic seems unassailable. I would like to hear someone in authority address the issue.

When you win an appea at the assessor’s office, you are not prevented from retrieving information the next year,.. for still another reduction as the economy grows worse. Be assured, it will get worse!

The School district trustees have been alerted by me to the problem. =What action has been taken by them is anyone’s guess. They have not replied to my strong suggestion that the five architects, subject to influence by ‘citizen’s committee’ selected for each site to be re-constructed and which group is composed of 1100 citizens from that school’s service area will possibly eventuate to the scence much like young boy’s applying yellow stain the snow contests…. who shoots farthest and is able to write their name in script etc.

The costs of the new construction program can easily be out of control…… if modular construction is used was done at the new Stonebrae (and approved by tjhe Sytate of California) is used, then there is a chance to complete the first element of the Masterplan within the constraints of the budget.

I do not buy the argument that the reduced costs of construction and reduced labor costs will fully offset the cash shortfall……. Labor Unions will insist on their contracts….. and another problem, as an example, revolves around diminishing supply of concrete agregate within a reasonable distance of the Bay Area.

Then too, we have no idea how far down the ‘assessed roll’ will be….. add the idea that that next vote will see increase in assement rate and you have resitence by the voter whether they are employed or on the breadline.

You as a citizen ought join the line at public comments to advise Trustees to start thinking…. I’ve had no response from them despite my attempts to alert them for some period of time.

As a survivor of childhood during the depression,and whose young mother had three mouths to feed…. I am personally frightened that streett action may result as it did in San Francisco’s riot of 1934. It was a dreadfukl experience which scarred the pysche of many!

I have not read the article you mention yet but I can see what the problem is going to be.

My wife and I applied for such a reassessment many months ago and the agency in charge of this is swamped with such requests. When I called to inquire about the status of our request, I was informed that it would take a while to go through all the requests they have on the table, but was reassured that if the request was granted if would be retroactive to the time when the request was filed.

Does this mean that the city and school district will have to repay any money they collect retroactively as well as these requests get granted over time? That will wreck havoc with our budgets for a while!

Having supported the school bond reluctantly for fear of drawing the short end of the stick (I don’t live up in the hills, where the first bond will be implemented!) I can see I probably did get the short end of the stick,

Funny how that works!

the impact of that article, when it hits the current budget mess at HUSD, will seem as simple as unraveling the Gordian Knot.

It ia an instruction on how to save money by appealing to the Alameda County Asssessor’s office for a reduction in assessed values applicable to real estate property in the area blanketed by the recent passage of thr Measure I HUSD school bond which is just the first of four planned votes necessary to the success of the masterful masterplan.

At present there are a City estimated count of forclosed homes standig vacant totaling in count, a number excess of 1,100 as repoted to City Council work session assembly on Jan 10, 2009

City is reducing it’s budget anticipation on the basis of the idea that the values of foreclosed homes is so far below what had been the previous assessment level,
it can not do less than consider the affevt upon budget.

Read today’s Chronicle story, it is a guideline on how to use Proposition 13 as a tool to reduce your home’s assessed values even if your home remains free of forclosure threat. Imagine that a person bought a home in 2003 for %500 K and that ‘comparables in subsequent years sold at $600 to $750,000 level but the forecloures saw new values on comparables down to $300 to $400 K range.

Now start thinking of the affect of an appeal to the County assessor based on the rules of Prop 13……

FOLKS, THAT IMPLIES A LOSS ON THE ASSESSMENT ROLLS OF $240 TO $300 IN ASSESSED VALUE WHICH IF EXPRESSED IN TERMS OF THE LOSS OF BOND RETIREMENT MONEY. is IN THE RANGE OF $150 TO $180 PER SUCCESFUL APPEAQL.

EXPRESSED IN ANOTRHER WAY ? TRY APPLyING THE MATH TO THE 25 YEAR REDEMPTION PERIOD FOR EACH SUCH LOSS

THEN ASK YOURSELF if the above is MULTIPLIED BY JUST 1,000 HOMES IT COMES TO $4,500,000. in shoretfasll applicable to bond redemption at the end of the 25 year period.

THE 1100 HOMES CITED ABOVE DOES NOT BEGIN TO COVER THE PROBLEM GIVEN THE ONGOING RATE OF FORECLOSURE ACTIVITIES APPLICABLE TO THE LARGER SCHOOL DISTRICT TERRIRORY WHICH EXTENDS PAST THE cITY LIMITS.

HOW WILL HUSD LEARN TO TO ADJUST TO THAT IF YOU FAIL TO WRITE THE TRUSTEES AND SEEK TO GET THEM TO TAKE NEEDED ACTION…. SUCH AS USING THE MODULAR SCHOOL RECONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES USED AT THE STONBRAE SCHOOL WITH APPROVAL OF ALIFORNIA SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION REGULATIONS. a NEW DESIGN FOR EACH SCHOOL, AS APPROVED BY THE 100 NEIGHBOR ASDVISORY COMMISSION PROMULGATED BY HUSD WHEN THEY HIRED FIVE SEPARATE ARCHITECTS TO DESIGN BUILDINGS SATISFACORY TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD ADVISORY COMMITTES WHOM I SUSPECT WANT SOMETHING CLOSE To TNE BIRBANK SCHOOL….. ‘TIS GONNa BREAK THE BANK

Having SAID ALL THAT…. LET THE STUFFD HIT THE FAN!

I totally agree with you about the travesty of the “spend a dot”, but at least we were getting bad input into the process at that point rather than no input. Barry Schimmel told me after we were done that the results confirmed what they had thought going in, that the citizens did not want music and sports touched.

After the realization that we would need to cut more, they didn’t reconvene us that I can remember until they had a final meeting Dec. 16th … attended by very few.

At that meeting, we were simply informed what cuts they were proposing. There was no input on variation from their plans at all. They were well on the road down the sales path at that point and that is the path they have continued on since. We told them at that time that one of the areas we wanted cut from the start was the Area Administrators, but they had decided to cut one instead of three positions, since that person was retiring. The other two would mean another $350,000 or so. Add in the money that would be spent on bringing lockers back into play. Move the district office to Sunset? Add in other transition expenses. Examine other cuts that need to be considered creatively. Can the teachers themselves help us to know where there could be cost savings? One of the elementary principals was talking with me about surveys she was doing and things she was thinking about to bring savings.

I’m not saying flat out that we could find everything we need to cut. I’m saying that cutting the block will do everything you laid out very accurately above in terms of program decimation. And I have been talking with Board members who know this is true.

I just don’t think we really finished the process. And, I think it is because some people did not want the process carried further. They had their agenda and were ready to sell it.

‘They’ will not listen until HUSD Trustees akes Control of their responsibilities and directs Supt. etc to follow directions of the Trustees as they, the trustees establish / create the various ‘commissio0ns’ UntilThe HUSed Trustees take control and provide directionb rather than just act as ‘ruhbber stamps’, the concept of commissions. will nebver be brought into the scheme of things.

Objections by Supt and administrators ought be met in closed session where all come to the understanding that ‘performane reviews’ have a purpose just as do the elections by which we judge the trustees.

The big problem as I see it is the fact that “Employment Contracts’ are drwan by attorneys working for the employee and hot the parties doing the hiring. That is a condition imposed by those who search for potential hirees when the top slots are open.

Dr. Vigil himself oubliclt stated that Hayward is his ninth position as a Suopt of Schools which experience has occurtred in 4 states. Why did we submit to terms of a contract which penanlizes the taxpayer when one of these job hopping guys gets fired?

HAyward has paid much in terminatiopn expense and as far as this resident of hayward since 1961 is able to observe…. nothing much has changed until the Trustees take control in the strict interpretatio9n of the word ‘control’

I have not participated in a while, but do read and follow what is being written…

I too served in Budget Adv. Comm. and would love to hear Conrad’s comments about the “dot” process. Before we actually started placing dots as instructed I saw that what we were doing made no sense taking in to account how the input was going to be tallied. Is spoke with Ms. Quinn about it and she agreed with me, but said something to the tone of “we are new at this process” or some such thing, which made me question if their salaries were warranted, particularly Mr. Schimmel’s, who being the district’s financial guy, should have seen the flaws in what they were asking us to do….

I very seriously considered not placing the dots in protest, but decided that having spent close to 20 hours in meetings and research, even a highly flawed system such as the one that was used (or was it the implementation that was flawed?) was better than nothing.

I am very disappointed with what the administartion is proposing to cut, as it seems like some recommendations from the budget adv. comm. that seemed to have wide support simply never got considered.

I’m particularly opposed to cutting the block schedule altogether. I have taught art at CSUH and DVC and can fully appreciate that some programs need the block system. I’m also married to a HUSD school teacher and can see that a period schedule is better for some other subjects. I feel the board should strongly consider a mixed schedule.

I’m currently doing some work with kids at Castro Valley HS doing bronze casting sculptures and I think they have such a system, since some days they have long meetings and some days they have short meetings for the same class. This seems to work pretty well for them.

I agree that the total deletion of the block as an option for certain programs will result in the loss of the current excellence of such programs, and all the momentum gained in making these schools “magnets” will be flushed down the toilet.

Speaking with a teacher at Mt. Eden friend of mine that teaches art, he explained to me what he thinks will happen if the block system is taken away and it was pretty bad, and certainly not what you would think if you listen to the answers given by the administrators to Mr. Reynoso when he asked if they would still have art classes under the period system. While the administrators said there would be art classes, they failed to explain that the options for the students would be greatly reduced.

It is not the same to have a well rounded program where students can study subjects in depth while attending followup classes (ie: intermediate and advanced painting)
as having a program where you have primarily beginning level classes.

Mr.Kyle:
I totally concur with you about the attitude of the administrators toward volunteers in the district, and I hope some day they listen to you suggestion of the live-in volunteers that you describe.

I would dare to propose a commission to further and find funding for visual arts. I do a fair amount of work with hs art teachers in Hayward, and working with the district has been such a tortuous and fruitless process, I finally gave up and have opted to find my own funding before doing anything with Hayward teachers. I would say I work with THE TEACHERS of hayward, not the school district.

HUSD has a long History of turning people away. I could recite examples but which would I choose as the best?

To cure the problem we all experience with the limited appreciation and attitude of top administration toward ‘volunteers’ and the needed contribution of interest by the community at large I point once agaion to The City of Hayward’s excellent use of volunteers whose efforts have made the City much more efficient and effective in the use of volunteers.

Using http://WWW.Hayward-ca.gov you find the website home page of the City of Hayward. Click on “commissions” at left side, then follow the thread to observe nine such groups of volunteers who in the collective sense number over 100 souls when all the seats are filled.

Those folks are assigned a specific interest which most appeals to them and to which they bring the enthusiams of that interest.

They are unpaid and they address those items which are thought to have an effect of betterment to communiy and which after the commission’s own examination and report to council are then acted upon by Council…. It saves much in the way of staff time as well as costs. Better yet, surcease of uhnfruitful commotion at HUSD meetings would be highly helpful to our City and School District’s collective image.

I have in recent past, repeatedly suggested such effort as would provide enhancedd volunteerism by citizenry interested in improvement of HUSD as well as the City, I frequently offered some ideas on the subject which at one time the Supt. seemed to have accepted buy put off with remarks that at the moment ‘I have much on my plate …. but I’ll get back to you in a couple of weeks’.

THAT WAS NEARLY TWO YEARS AGO AND in THE INTERIM PERIOD SAW REPEATED REFUSAL TO EXAMINE THE MERITS OF THE IDEA WITH THE RESULT THAT THE TRUSTEES OF PREVIOUS BOARD just sat and did nothing.

WHAT WOULD BE THE NATURE OF THE SUGGESTED ‘COMMISSIONS’ OR GROUPS OF VOLUNTEER ADVISOR’S AREA OF INTEREST?

FOR STARTERS: Site resident advisory group charged with finding acceptable personnel which would live in cottages upom the school grounds free of land rent but responsible for installing controlled acrcihetect- urally acceptable modular homes. Ground rent would be exchanged for established, contractually obligated performance of duties leading to control of site activity after school hours and elimination of the costs of graffitti and other forms of vandaloism.

Next: Sports and promotions group interested in promoting atheleticism at the svhools as well as sponsoring fund raising activities that aid the costs of intra school atheleicism;

Next: WELL, WHAT ARE YOUR OWN THOUGHTS ON THE MATTRER?

AS A CONSEQUENCE YOU WOULD FIND WIDER INTEREST IN THE AFFAIRS OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AS WELL AS INCULCATE THE IDEA THAT TEACHERS AND Administration are merely partners with the community and must listen more closely to the likes of Conrad Hake.