The Hayward Chamber of Commerce will hold a Gourmet Gala to raise funds for the Measure I campaign from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday at Stonebrae Country Club, 222 Country Club Drive.

The exclusive event will feature food prepared by Stonebrae's Executive Chef, Richard A. Bailey, and will provide attendees an opportunity to hear more about the bond. For tickets or for more information, call 510-537-2424.

Contract talks appear to be heating up between San Leandro teachers and the school district. Union leaders have sent this letter to staff at Pleasanton Middle School, where school board member Lisa Hague is a history and journalism teacher.

Teachers at PMS took offense to the letter, as outlined in this e-mail:

To the members of the executive board of SLTA,

The teachers at Pleasanton Middle School received a letter from Brian Kennedy of behalf of the SLTA dated April 21, 2008 (copy attached). The letter is slanderous. It is an example of the least professional behavior I have seen in my eight years of teaching.

Ms. Hague is the hardest working educator that I know. She is an outstanding teacher and communicator. She is one of the strongest teacher-advocates that I know. Her manner is professional at all times.

She is well-respected throughout the Pleasanton Unified School District, including teachers, administrators, union members, and non-union members, like myself.

If this is how the teachers in San Leandro are represented, it is apparent why there is an impasse in the negotiations.

Leni Seymon
Algebra Teacher/Math Department Chair
Pleasanton Middle School

Read more in tomorrow's Daily Review.

The Day of the Teacher is approaching and educators from Castro Valley, Hayward, San Lorenzo, New Haven and Newark Unified School Districts will meet from 3 to 6 p.m. that Wednesday, May 14, at the Five Flags area in Hayward (corner of Jackson, Mission and Foothill) to protest possible cuts imposed by the state.

Teachers are asking you to join the rally to help air your concerns about the state budget and how it relates to public education.

Does the neighborhood where a City Council member lives impact how the official serves the community at large? This question has come up before — in Hayward, there are no districts so all council members are elected citywide. As our map below shows, certain neighborhoods, such as those in the hills, tend to attract a lot of candidates. Meanwhile, there are no candidates running from the vast and populated area between I-880 and Mission Boulevard.

View Larger Map

View the larger map and click on the blue markers for the web sites and candidate statements of all nine candidates.

In today's edition of the Review, we published a follow-up to last week's brawl at Mt. Eden High in which eight students were arrested.

Police on Tuesday said the incident may have been gang-motivated.

Do you think gangs in our schools are on the rise? I'd like to hear from readers to see if they've heard of gang activity increasing on school campuses.

Post your responses here or shoot me an e-mail at knoceda@bayareanewsgroup.com.

San Leandro educators began informational picketing this week to raise awareness of failed contract negotiations. San Lorenzo teachers are also working on a new working agreement, while Hayward Unified's contract with its teachers expire this summer.

With the governor proposing across-the-board cuts, including in education, school districts are preparing for big losses in revenue.

So how can financially strapped districts fairly compensate arguably its most important employees? Remember, California already ranks among the bottom in per-pupil spending when compared with the rest of the nation.

School officials may look to you for the answer. Districts are warming to the idea of placing a parcel tax before voters to help compensate teachers.

Are you willing to support such a cause by paying higher taxes? Why or why not?

As mentioned in today's Review, Hayward Unified will hold off closing Markham Elementary for another year, and possibly two other campuses if trustees take action on the matter next month.

Feel free to discuss the decision here, but I'm also curious to hear your thoughts regarding board member Dr. Sarah Gonzales' comments about the "gross inequities" within the district.

While some campuses house a few hundred students, others are bursting at the seams with about 800 students. One parent compared the overcrowding issues to packing students like a can of sardines.

For those of you who were unable to cough up the hefty admission cost to Wednesday's spectacle at City Hall or don't subscribe to Pay Per View (I'm joking), Gonzales expressed concerns about district school sizes.

Hayward Unified's optimal school sizes at the elementary level is about 650 to 750 students.

"The optimal size of 750 students isn't so optimal anymore," she said Wednesday evening, which was followed by a standing ovation by parents and teachers who favor smaller schools.

It's not often that the city and the school district actually want to get in each other's business.

But in the case of the new ninth-grade academy slated to be built for San Leandro High School between Bancroft Avenue and East 14th Street, that's what has been happening.

And city and school officials seem to be welcoming the prodding. That's because the design for the new campus is the product of a joint effort between city and the school officials - -a true collaborative effort that will benefit the entire community, they say.

The main benefit here is that because the city wants to invest in designing and building the ninth-grade academy, city officials are asking that facilities such as the gym be made available to the public. That seems like a fair trade, most would agree.

But it also brings up the question: On what else might the city and school district be able to collaborate?

Talks have already begun about the city working with the school district to address the San Leandro High swimming pool, which has fallen into disrepair.

The renovation of Burrell Field also is being discussed as a possible joint-venture.

What are your suggestions?

Are Hayward residents willing to support a possible June 2008 school bond?

Trustees on Wednesday evening got a glimpse of that answer as results from a November feasibility study were released.

Read the full story here.

About 400 potential voters were surveyed in the district's study, and district staff have little to no room for error if they want to pass a successful bond, according to the study.

But judging from our own independent HayWord survey, the district may have its work cut out for it.

Results from our survey show 82 percent of bloggers indicated they would not support a facilities measure. Take note, however, that only 67 voters participated in our online survey.

If the HayWord is Ms. Cleo and can predict the future, then what should the district do?

Drive around your neighborhood. Are you happy with how your schools look?

How about a parcel tax? Teachers' union leaders have said they would prefer that the district pursue a parcel tax to increase salaries and improve the interior of schools before beautifying exterior facilities.

What are your thoughts on such an idea, and would you support a parcel tax if it were to go towards teacher salaries, school supplies, district programs and so on?

The Hayward school district is set to re-up a contract tonight with Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin and Associates to conduct research on how the community would respond to a school bond on the June 2008 ballot.

If the name rings a bell, the firm may have asked you a few questions for the district regarding a facilities measure that was ultimately removed from the ballot in 2006.

Trustees will more than likely approve the contract — worth $21,500 — during its regular board meeting tonight.

Just in case you are overlooked during the survey, we've added an informal one here. So go ahead and let your gut instinct flow to your fingertip when clicking "Yes" or "No" on whether you would support a facilities measure that has eluded Hayward schools for 40 years.

Instant Survey: If school officials place a facilities measure on the June 2008 ballot, will you support it?