So, what do you think? Pros, cons?

But, having missed much of the special legislative session on the state’s money meltdown, Corbett is cutting the overseas visit short, her chief of staff, Peggy Collins, said today, in order to rush home for Sunday’s planned floor sessions of the Senate and Assembly in Sacramento.

The trip, which started on Nov. 12 and was scheduled to end the day before Thanksgiving (Nov. 26), is sponsored by the California International Relations Foundation, a Senate program that organizes programs and trips to promote “economic and cultural relations” throughout the world, according to its Web site.

“It is a significant and important trip for California and the district,” Collins said, carefully avoiding any hint that the trip might be considered a vacation. High-tech businesses and educational institutions were on the senators’ tour itinerary. The trip originally was planned to coincide with a Legislative recess.

The foundation does raise money for overseas trips, and hosts visits here by international government representatives. Foundation directors include employees of major California law firms and corporations that lobby the state on behalf of their business interests.

The cost of the trip, and the breakdown of who paid for what, wasn’t available today. However, in trips of this type, sponsoring organizations and the legislators themselves usually pay the travel expenses.

Homes there lost, on average, 44.7 percent of their value compared with this time last year. Jackson Triangle didn’t fare much better, with a 44.5 percent loss, and Whitman-Mocine values down 43.7 percent.

Citywide, the average loss was 37.2 percent, and the current median value is about $335,000. That’s about the same as the San Lorenzo average of a 35.2 percent dip to $334,000. San Leandro homes fell 27.9 percent to $373,000.

The Alameda County average is down 18.9 percent, to $479,000.

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Yes on 8—For the Children

Marriage is either a sacred institution ordained of God between a man and a woman—or it is not.  For many of us, it is really that simple.  Have you thought to pray about it?  However, even for you non-believers, or “secular believers,” there are compelling reasons to preserve traditional marriage—and those reasons are about children, not adults.

The fatal flaw in all the arguments in support of same-sex “marriage,” and against Proposition 8, is that they are all about the wants and needs of adults.  The historical anthropology of marriage shows that its primary purpose has always been to conceive, raise and protect children.  The overwhelming body of research demonstrates that children have the best chance for success with a father and a mother in a low-conflict home.  (The one third of children that grow up without a father in the home accounts for about 80% of all negative youth statistics.)

Opponents of Prop 8 claim that it is “unfair and “discriminatory,”  which appeals to people of good will who don’t want to be unfair, but it only has validity if you have already redefined marriage as merely a relationship between adults primarily for adults.  The “sexual revolution,” easy divorce, and the media have all contributed to the cultural weakening of the traditional marriage and its transformation into something primarily for the needs of adults.  Same sex marriage may be the final nail in the coffin.

Thus, the assertion that Prop 8 has nothing to do with schools is ludicrous.  If Prop 8 does not pass, the legalization of same-sex marriages will undermine the ability of traditional parents to teach their children the meaning and importance of marriage.  If you wish to teach your children that marriage is a sacred relationship between a man and a woman sanctioned by God or society as the best way to organize families and rear children, your children will be taught in schools that this is not so—that there is nothing special about the marriage of their mother and father, and that all family configurations are just as good as any other (and therefore the sex of the husband is irrelevant to the role he plays as husband and father).

You doubt this?  As a school board member, I assure you that it is already happening in our schools.  But it goes beyond that.  Just last week here in Hayward there was a publicized example of a kindergarten teacher exposing her students to the concepts of “gay, lesbian and transgender.”  These concepts are routinely discussed under the guise of “anti-bias” or “anti-bullying” curriculum.  For example, the book, “King and King” is used for little children, which depicts two princes marrying and kissing.  Can’t we teach children not to bully or mistreat others without indoctrinating them with adult agendas and sexualizing them at inappropriate ages?  Teachers have actually been trained that they do not need to notify parents of such discussions.  This “curricula” is more pervasive than has been acknowledged by the school district. 

Why are we spending time and resources on this kind of social engineering in our schools when less than half of our students can even read at grade-level proficiency? 

I have been warned that publicly breaking ranks from the school district on this issue will likely ensure my defeat for re-election.  Then so be it.  Parents need to know what is really happening in schools, and that it will become more pervasive if Prop 8 fails.  The preservation of marriage and the protection of our children are far more important than whether I continue serving on a local school board.  Vote Yes on 8—for the children.

Jeff Cook

Member, Board of Education

Hayward Unified School District

They have reason to celebrate. Their “get out the vote” campaign helped Democratic registration soar in Castro Valley, Hayward, San Leandro and San Lorenzo during the past five months, as the Alameda County registrar of voters disclosed this week.

Beginning at 7 tonight, volunteers — in costume, campaign coordinator Edith Looney hopes — will enjoy candy, popcorn and soft drinks at the campaign headquarters, 1139 A St., in Hayward while watching “Young Frankenstein” and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”

Then, at 8 a.m. Saturday, they’ll be back at work again to get the Barack Obama-Joe Biden ticket elected on Tuesday. For 12 hours, volunteers are scheduled to walk precincts or to call other states, reminding other registered Democrats to get out and vote.

More walking and phoning is scheduled on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, ending with another big party — the Democrats hope — after the polls close.

Parents, teachers and residents have criticized the district for failing to communicate effectively with the community. Some work has been done to help alleviate that problem with a revamped Web site and a public relations officer. What other ways as a school board member would you help the district improve its overall communication with the community?

Four-year candidates

Rick Bartholomew:

I would like to build a better cultural partnership with our diverse community.  From speaking with some parents, I found that one of the major communication problems is the issue of language barrier.  I would like to implement an outreach program that can bridge the gap between the schools and the English-language learner community.  One way to achieve this is by recruiting help from the different cultural organizations to be available to interpret critical situations that require immediate attention.  This solution would be in addition to the existing service provided by the district.

As a member of the school board I would also ask the parents, teachers, and residents how the board could be more effective in communicating with the community. I think it is important to ask for help in solving problems or making improvements. From those suggestions we should be capable of finding the ideal solution.

Jeff Cook:

(This question was left blank).

Sarah Gonzales:

I would continue to hold the superintendent and his administrators accountable for improving communications with the public.  I would also suggest to my fellow board members that we have 3-4 of our public meetings in one of our high schools each year so that people could attend meetings closer to their homes.  The downside of this is that the meetings could not be televised and would be recorded on audio tape and on written minutes.

Maribel Heredia:

The “revamped Web site” is great if you have a computer and Internet access. The “public relations officer” is also great if s/he can communicate and connect with ALL of our diverse community. I would ensure policy is written and implemented involving parental involvement accordingly to NCLB standards. We live in a diverse community and it is the leadership’s responsibilities to ensure parents and community at large are involved with their schools regardless if they have children or not in the district. It is in everyone’s best interest that our schools are doing well and our students are receiving the quality of education they need and deserve. This is going to take a community effort, but most importantly support from the district leadership/board:

Since all public schools are part of a larger school district, family and community involvement at individual schools depends, in part, on district expectations and support. The job of creating and coordinating a serious, consistent, systemic program of family and community engagement for any district requires senior leadership — preferably at the superintendent level — to establish beyond a doubt that the district is fully committed to family and community engagement.

• Conducting and analyzing parent surveys about school satisfaction.

• Setting a clear standard for what’s expected at schools and offering help to meet the standard.

• Staffing the effort by creating a high-level family involvement position and committing real resources to it.

• Districts hiring teachers or well-trained paraprofessionals to fill parent coordinator positions

• Superintendents and deputies holding principals accountable for strong and measurable outreach to families and community members

• Administration leaders sharing examples of effective family involvement practices with school staff

Dianne McDermott:

Communication is an age-old problem prevalent both in the private and public sector. Improving communication within the district does not take a budget, nor will it cost the district money to implement.

Communication takes a commitment from all parties and a methodology to document the issues and concerns of parents, teachers and students. Knowing what the issues and concerns are would allow the district the opportunity to resolve concerns and also hold them accountable to respond in a timely manner. A lot can be learned by documenting this process; people need to know that they are being heard, and if applicable, action to seek resolution is occurring.

Luis Reynoso:

The improvement of communication has to be an ongoing process as time goes by. The Web site and public relations officer is of no exception. Apparently the communications are dismal and continue as such. I will, once in office, appoint a communications commission to determine the faults from many perceptions and how to make improvements. Further, I will also participate in training the community to use the Brown Act and Sunshine rules to deliver items to the board agendas for voting. My perception alone to improve communications is not enough. The only way to improve communications is if and only if the community is given the respect and a voice with the authority for action at the district level. 

Two-year candidates

James Farley:

We would need to create a telephone log saying when the parent phoned in and noting the callback time from the district. Currently the district only has an e-mail log –- but not all people are computer literate. Doing this would expand our communication skills. I would also want oversight to make sure this is being done.

Lawrence Fitzpatrick:

The board has done nothing to improve the problems as they do not listen or care about Hayward students or parents. With all the parents who have protested and begged the school district to ask that kind of question is totally absurd. Until the parents are taught how and allowed to put items on the board’s agenda there is no true communication.

Conrad Hake:

I would actually add to the Web site by including a HUSD Excellence! Blog.  This would be contributed to by all the schools showcasing accomplishments and broadcasting project and program needs for those who would like to contribute time or give financial support.  An added bonus would be writing and input by budding journalists as part of their curriculum.  Blogs can be set up for more rapid information addition.

A second thing I would pledge would be to regularly circulate to community events, listening where possible, speaking where appropriate, always encouraging dialogue.

Kelly Rocchio:

HUSD must provide timely and accurate information to the community.  When they fail to do so, that void is filled with rumors and gossip.  Perception can quickly override reality when there is a lack of communication.

q      While the Web site is a start, it must be accurate and current.  We should promote positive programs and events before they occur, not just post pictures after the fact.  We need to give the community time to get involved and encourage participation.

q      Building Connections and Stability -– Prioritize school staff retention, allowing them to build connections with the families and students.  These connections will last a lifetime!

q      Community Forums and Workshops –- Community Forums will give participants an opportunity to engage and discuss hot topics with leaders in the district.  Workshops addressing all levels of learning and subgroups can help to guide families through the education system and encourage involvement at all levels.  We must reach out to our community and ask for their input.

q      Access and Visibility — It is important that our board members be accessible and visible at our schools and events.  Our leadership must be approachable and open to sharing ideas and listening to the constituents.  We must promote our district with PRIDE!

Sheila Sims:

Build coalitions with teachers, parents, residents to encourage their participation in the schools. There is great expertise in the community, reach out. We must be a cohesive team to educate our students.

I would suggest that we institute a bimonthly newsletter to be sent to parents and teachers outlining activities, testing dates, projects, changes in staffing, mandates and policies, and other issues that affect their students.

It is important to work with the press by letters to the editor explaining important issues that affect the schools. Such as best practices in education; why the block schedule is effective; what are the budget issues; explain there is dissatisfaction with NCLB; why many believe that a voluntary preschool is a way to close the achievement gap.

Volunteers working out of the Democrats’ local office on A Street in Hayward registered 700 new voters last weekend, reports office manager Edith Looney. Now, the volunteers will spend between now and Election Day walking 300 precincts in Castro Valley, Hayward, San Leandro, San Lorenzo and other unincorporated areas on behalf of local and national candidates.

Personal cell phones in hand, they’ll also be calling voters in other states the next two Saturdays on behalf of the Obama-Biden ticket.

The Alameda County Registrar of Voters reported Wednesday that the county had 787,971 registered voters. Overall, that’s up from 734,171 — nearly 54,000 voters — from Sept. 9, the last voter registration listing.

The latest party registrations weren’t available from the county Wednesday. However, in September, registrations in Assembly and state Senate districts covering the greater Hayward area tell the story. In the 18th Assembly District, represented by Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi, D-Hayward, Democrats outnumbered Republicans by a margin of 56 percent to 19 percent. In the larger 10th state Senate District, represented by Sen. Ellen Corbett, D-San Leandro, the margin is 51 percent Democrat, 20 percent Republican.

In both the Assembly and Senate districts, “declined-to-state” voters in September also outnumbered Republicans.

Without further adieu, question 2: What do you consider the greatest challenge facing the district, and do you have any suggestions on how to help the district overcome that challenge?

Four-year candidates

Rick Bartholomew:

Perhaps the greatest challenge facing the district is financial strength. The great citizens of Hayward stepped up to the plate in June and invested in the district’s infrastructure with the passage of Measure I.  Our next challenge is to prove to the citizens they made the right choice and give them what we promised. That will build trust between the community and the district, which we need to secure financial stability and future bond measures. By building energy-efficient, environmentally friendly schools, classrooms with optimum indoor air quality and cleaning stations will help improve the average daily attendance.  Staying on budget, keeping and attracting new students, and increasing average daily attendance are opportunities to secure financial strength.  

Jeff Cook:

Before getting the state budget two weeks ago, my answer would have been different.  Now, however, the biggest challenge is how to cut $17 million from the budget without terribly impacting the students.  This will be far more difficult than last time, because there is no more “low hanging fruit,” or very little.  It will be more difficult for us that many other districts that have not recently had to do the kinds of cuts we already have done.  This will take courage and strength to stand up against much pressure from all sides in fighting for the students

Sarah Gonzales:

The district will continue to face budget issues because of the state’s and the nation’s economic troubles.  We have cut all the “frills” and there is little more to cut. Our district budget is over 92% personnel so we need to find ways to work more efficiently, and that may mean loss of jobs, which will be very difficult.

Maribel Heredia:

To that end we must ensure that all our subgroups are meeting AYP. Some services that are proven to reduce the achievement gap are: Early childhood care and education; improving teacher quality; early intervention for college; extra learning opportunities, like afterschool programs or Saturday classes.  We need to look at these possible solutions and research what other schools are doing who are meeting AYP in the state.

Dianne McDermott:

The Hayward School District in comparison to the Alameda County School District has a higher percentage of seniors who do not graduate school, and we need to find out why and implement strong measures to deter this behavior. When students are dropping out of school, it impacts the whole community and has a residual effect on crime and gang activity. We need to identify early in the educational process those children who are most at risk and implement an “early” intervention program.

Facilities –- This is a primary concern that I have and we have an opportunity with the overwhelming passage of the bond measure to make improvements; in some cases build new schools. It is crucial to the Hayward School District that this is well-thought out and projects are prioritized according to need. The community will be evaluating each and every step the district takes in spending their tax dollars. The district needs to earn their trust so there is a future for the passage of other bond measures. I want to be a participant in that process.

Declining enrollment –- Each year we have students who leave our district and enter private school, transfer to another school district, or parents take more drastic action and move out of Hayward. Our district knows this is happening but perhaps has not done enough to find out why. We need to reach out to parents of elementary school children and determine what motivates them to make that decision. Are they seeking a more enriched curriculum, more innovate elective programs, or schools that offer better resources? We all come up losers when this happens, other schools end up getting our funds from the state, we end up consolidating schools and laying off teachers.

Luis Reynoso

The greatest challenge the district has is to make sure the schools become safe academic learning environments where every child is not afraid of violence and is given high expectations to excel academically to their untapped potential. The solution for that is to make all stakeholders part of the solution. Currently the district does not include the parents in any district-level decision process to improve academics or reduction of violence. We need a district accountable to the bad decisions they make in managing schools. As a board member, it will be my duty to assist the district in fulfilling their obligation to provide excellent schools, and to help them keep the politics out of job security. The hire and fire process in the improvement of schools should not be hindered by the three-headed dragon of corruption, collusion and nepotism. The Hayward community needs a board that will be held accountable to improve the district.

Two-year candidates

James Farley:

The budget is our biggest concern and we need to think of innovative ways to meet academic achievement within the budget we have. I would want to meet with parent-teacher groups to get input and come up with some solid ideas.

Lawrence Fitzpatrick:

The challenge the district faces at present is the superintendent with his compulsion to keep an enormous upper management. He should be giving the principals more responsibility and cutting his staff appropriately.

He cuts our children’s education and services rather than to do the work himself.

Conrad Hake:

Fully supporting the classroom is the greatest challenge to the district.  We must be very clear that this is a priority, because we are in a fiscal squeeze and must meet the needs of standardized testing. 

Communication within the district really needs improvement and the district office must learn to relinquish direct control of site issues.  More decisions must be made at the site level with less micromanagement from the district.  This means the district office must see more clearly that its role is that of a service organization to support the schools, not a seat to make decisions for the schools.  Then the principals will be seen as the decision makers at their schools, leaders of their schools, and this will improve morale, teamwork and efficiency where it counts.

Kelly Rocchio:

We must connect with the community.  Hayward is full of untapped resources; musicians, scientists, authors, artists, etc. Many of these people may not have children in the schools, yet they would be happy to share their knowledge and experiences. We have volunteers and friends who are just waiting for us to extend our hand. I think it is time that we take the time to learn from our community, not just ask them for their vote!

Sheila Sims:
The greatest challenges for the district are the budget, providing a safe, healthy environment, promoting academic success, decreasing the dropout rate and decreasing the truancy rate. We must inform our teachers, students and parents of district and school rules, and have students and parents sign contracts to acknowledge that they understand and will comply. Spell out the consequences of not complying, and be consistent. Encourage respect for parents, teachers and students by providing professional development on how to best encourage respect. Have workshops for parents to help them understand the techniques, and work with the school to achieve respect for all. Respect will help decrease the violence and bullying we now see in the schools. Student health is an issue in the schools. We have students who are overweight, hungry, homeless and sick. These issues affect the truancy rate and we can help by making physical education more available, maintaining the lunch and breakfast programs, having school nurses available at least once a week, giving parents guidelines for when to keep their child home when he/she is sick, acknowledging the need for before- and after-school supervised time, giving say 30 minutes to pick up their students. We have childcare programs but sometimes parents need just a short time 10 or 15 minutes leadway in dropping off or picking up their children. A safe, secure environment promotes academic success.

Academic success can be encouraged by offering tutoring as soon as a student is identified by their teacher or parent, rely more on testing throughout the year to help identify students’ weak spots. Assist the principals by making sure they are aware of programs and training that would assist their teachers and parents.

In these times of economic decline and skyrocketing costs, we must make hard decisions that provide safe schools, address diversity and provide academic success for all students.

But, this tactic — in support of two challengers running against two incumbents on Nov. 4 — could fizzle with an off-the-record tip that Lim is among six finalists for the job of New Haven school district superintendent.

Reportedly, Lim has informed her staff and San Leandro trustees that she is a finalist for the top post in the 13,000-student New Haven school district serving Union City and south Hayward. On Wednesday, New Haven representatives are visiting San Leandro to learn about Lim’s leadership. On Saturday, two finalists are expected to meet with the New Haven board, and an appointment could precede November’s election.

Lim has headed the 8,700-student San Leandro district since 2003.