Program for Friday March 5, 2004 Rosie The Riveter 
Judy Hart, Executive director of the Rosie the Riveter Park in Richmond will speak to us today. Door Duty: George Egan and * * * * * * * * * Program for Friday March 12, 2004 EcoSystem Survival Norman Gershenz speaks about the challeged ecosystem and his organization's efforts
to address the problem. Door Duty: Daniel Ercolini and Ted Smith * * * * * * * * * Program of February 27, 2004 George Harris The ever succinct Mark Howe introduced our speaker, School Board Member(and President this year?) George Harris. George was scheduled to talk on the subject of Measure J, the parcel tax
to benefit the school district. George asked for a show of hands of who was
"undecided" about the measure - when no hands went up he concluded he didn't
need to try to persuade the group on how to vote. Instead he focused on
the state of the WCCC School District. George was elected to the School Board in 1999 and will stand for reelection in November. He commented that he has seen many changes since '99. The biggest change is the District accountability procedures that are now in place. In '99, 16 of 39 schools scored under 500 in test scores. Peres and several other schools were in the bottom 100 of schools state-wide. Today, no schools are scoring below 500. In '99 four District schools were scoring 700 or above. Today 14 schools are scoring in that range. George's conclusion: effective mechanisms are now in place to improve educational opportunities within the District. George noted that elementary school success is critical, because it is where kids capture the skills that will make them life-long learners. George described education finance as "In a word, a mess". The District has a $22 million budget deficit. The State system for funding Districts on a per student basis doesn't put the money where it is most needed. Some locations (Dublin) receive considerably more per student per day than others (Richmond). Measure J will require a 2/3 vote for approval as a special tax. If successful, it will raise $7 ½ million, and will expire at the end of 5 years. The School Board will focus these funds on: (1) maintaining small class size; (2) maintaining the counseling system; (3) providing adequate textbooks and learning materials; (4) improving custodial services and school cleanliness; and (5) library support. If the measure is not successful on the ballot, even more onerous budget cuts will be necessary. George Harris is articulate about the needs of the District, and a dedicated public servant. Thank you George for a good presentation on a serious subject. Important Dates 03/03/04 Board Mtg: 12 Noon - 125 Park Pl. Pt Richmond 03/05/04 Read Across America at Peres 1:30pm - 2:40pm 03/11/04 Environmental Detectives at LHS 5:00 - 7;00 pm 04/13/04 Board Mtg: 12 Noon - 125 Park Pl. Pt Richmond 05/05/04 Board Mtg: 12 Noon - 125 Park Pl. Pt Richmond 06/04/04 D-Day meeting on The Red Oak Victory 06/09/04 Board Mtg: 12 Noon - 125 Park Pl. Pt Richmond Upcoming Speakers 04/02/04 Larry Stone - Assessor, Santa Clara County 04/09/04 Tracy Hein Silva - Emergency Services Manager 05/21/04 Dr. Bernard Alpert - California Pacific Med Center Door Duty Reminder 03/19/04 Charles Fender and Diana Becton Smith 03/26/04 Michael Fenley and Hans Shaper 03/28/03 Barry Gordon and Daniel Sanders 04/02/04 Elof Granberg and Werner Schwarz Where to Make Up San Rafael Monday 12:15 Seafood Peddler Albany Tuesday 12:30 Mira Vista G&CC El Sobrante Tuesday 12:15 Joe's of El Sobrante Berkeley Wednesday 12:15 His Lordships Hercules Wednesday 7:15 am Hercules Senior Center San Pablo Wednesday 12:15 San Pablo Casino El Cerrito Thursday 12:15 Mira Vista G&CC Pinole Thursday 12:30 Outback Steak House Vallejo Thursday 12:15 World Holiday Inn |
