The Burlingame Voice

Do I really have to take the test? No.

What if they gave a test and no one came?

Opting out. Parents have the right to keep their children from taking the STAR test. The
law says, A parent or guardian may submit to the school a written request to excuse his or her
child from any or all parts of any test provided pursuant to Ed Code Section 60640 [STAR ].? It
also says, Notwithstanding any provision of law, a parent's or guardian's written request to
school officials to excuse his or her child from any or all parts of the assessments administered
pursuant to this chapter shall be granted.?

You just have to tell your principal in writing you want to opt your child out of the test.

The Federal education law known as No Child Left Behind is fueled by standardized tests. These expensive tests of questionable merit restrict teacher creativity, discriminate against poor children, rob kids of memorable learning experiences and turn classrooms into test-prep factories. The test companies are unaccountable to the public and our best teachers are being driven from the classroom. Art, music, science, social studies, field trips and even recess are being sacrificed at the alter of test scores.
Opting out of the upcoming tests sends an important message of support for teachers and signals your parental desire for world-class schools.
California parents have the legal write to exempt their children from participating in this folly. All you need to do is write a note.
Informed parents are the key to educational excellence. The following materials should provide you with the knowledge you need to understand the perils of standardized testing.

Click on the following link for an Opt-out package. Pencilsdown.org

To find out the arguements behind the movement see AlfieCohn.org

Your Right to Opt Out of Testing
60615. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a parent's or guardian's written request to school officials to excuse his or her child from any or all parts of the assessments administered pursuant to this chapter shall be granted.

Title 5 Ca. Code of Regs., Div. 1, Chap. 2, Subchapter 3.75, section 852?(a) A parent or guardian may submit to the school a written request to excuse his or her child from any or all parts of any test provided pursuant to Education Code section 60640. A school district and its employees may discuss the Standardized Testing and Reporting program with parents and may inform parents of the availability of exemptions under Education Code section 60615. However, the school district and its employees shall not solicit or encourage any written exemption request on behalf of any child or group of children.

- Written by JC

La Corneta Open

Hey Hey! La Corneta is finally open in Downtown Burlingame! They were slammed on their first night (3/23). Check it out for excellent Taquiera style Mexican food

- Written by caroline

Public and Grand Jury Need Information

Will Robinson- You posted this comment the other day. The public and the Grand Jury need further information on this issue. Would you please post more details or get in contact with someone who can advance the information for verification. This may save the public millions of dollars!

You may remain anonymous.


HOW DUMB DOES SAM JOHNSON think we are? At last night's (march 8) board meeting Sam tried to award his golf buddy a 24 million dollar contract for construction management. This is the same golf buddy that ran the last projects 80 million dollars over for the last bond meansure (ONLY A 65% OVERRUN!). I did some checking today with a firend who is an architect and according to the state office of school construction the maximum fee for a 200 million dollar program should be about 8 million dollars. Can you say "Halliburton"????

People, wake up!, we are talking about our property taxes here!! Thankfully at least one board member (probably the only one not in Sam's pocket) is paying attention. Danger, danger, danger. - Will Robinson

- Written by JC

Council/Planning Meeting - March 24

There is a Joint Council and Planning Commission Meeting this weekend. As of now, no agenda has been posted on the City website:

WHEN: March 24, 2007
TIME: 9:00 AM
WHERE: Corporation Yard Training Room, 1361 North Carolan Avenue

- Written by Fiona

Leading by example

At BHS Back to School Night, SMUHSD Superintendent Sam Johnson drove into the school campus through the throng of black clad teachers to supervise the protest. Many parents were already at the school and Johnson could not find an open parking space. Since there were no legal spaces available, Johnson decided to pull his Ford Bronco up onto the pavement and create his own space by parking in front of the historic steps of the school. It is very interesting when life imitates leadership.

The rules are for the followers, not the leaders.

- Written by JC

El Camino - Trees with no Names

Caltrans, city bark back, forth over trees - Dispute centers on who should care for elms, eucalyptuses along El Camino Real
(San Mateo Times)

BURLINGAME If the fate of one eucalyptus can spark a political controversy in Burlingame, what happens when an entire street full of them is threatened?
The answer is likely to emerge in coming weeks, due to a disagreement between Caltrans and city officials over who is responsible for maintaining the eucalyptuses and elms that form a lofty canopy over El Camino Real. Caltrans has long maintained the trees along El Camino, a state highway, but the agency's new chief of maintenance for the area recently told Burlingame Parks and Recreation Director Randy Schwartz that he'd like the city to consider picking up the tab. "The director's stance was, if these trees are important to Burlingame, then Burlingame should take over maintenance of all the trees," said Schwartz, who relayed the conversation to the Parks and Recreation Commission last week. Schwartz said the state maintenance official, Usen Inyang, described the trees as legal liabilities and indicated he would not replace nine diseased elms that were removed last month until a new maintenance agreement is worked out. "He said that Caltrans would not spend any money planting more liabilities in the city of Burlingame," Schwartz said. Inyang said Wednesday that Caltrans has "an existing maintenance agreement with the city of Burlingame, and we will stick with that maintenance agreement."

A Caltrans spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment. Inyang did not have a ready estimate of how much Caltrans spends looking after the trees, but Schwartz said the cost likely amounts to several hundred thousand dollars a year. The eucalyptuses are notorious for shedding limbs and disrupting streets, clogging sewer lines and tearing up sidewalks with their roots. But many residents have expressed a willingness to put up with the quirks and inconveniences of eucalyptuses, as evidenced by the fight earlier this year to save "Tom the Tree," a Tasmanian blue gum in front of the Easton Branch Library. Jennifer Pfaff, a resident who has researched the trees, said her biggest concern is that a failure to replace those that are removed could jeopardize the whole grove, which is eligible for protection as a historical resource under the California Environmental Quality Act, according to a 2003 Caltrans study. If the grove shrinks and loses its historical designation, Pfaff worries that the remaining eucalyptuses, which were planted about 100 years ago by Golden Gate Park designer John McLaren, could be left unprotected. City Councilman Russ Cohen said he would like to see Caltrans and city officials sit down and work out a solution, but felt it would be unfair for Caltrans to "change the rules in the middle of the game." "The important thing is to realize that those trees are what make that stretch of El Camino Real in Burlingame so wonderful and the envy of other cities on the Peninsula," Cohen said. Cohen said talk of losing the trees is "ironic," given that cities participating in a project to reinvent El Camino Real as a "grand boulevard" have emphasized planting more trees along the roadway.

- Written by Fiona

Crime Statistics

Calls from bars keep police busy (reposted from the Examiner)

Burlingame, Calif. - Calls to police that involve incidents at bars and nightclubs have more than doubled since 2003, but not necessarily because of a rise in crime or mischief, according to the city police chief. In a report released by police Chief Jack Van Etten, police received 350 calls in 2006 for bar-related incidents, a dramatic rise from 162 in 2003. Van Etten said, however, that police have been proactive? in working with owners of establishments to crack down on brawls, vandalism and public urination. Even though the numbers appear to have gotten worse, it's gotten better,? Van Etten said. When we talk to [bar owners] about this, they are apt to give us a call. The numbers aren't bar crimes, they are bar calls.?

In recent years, Burlingame Avenue and Broadway have become bustling destinations during the late weekend hours, which has prompted police to encourage bars and clubs to call them. For almost two years, police and bar owners have held bi-monthly proactive? meetings designed to monitor the influx of 20-somethings who spill out into the street after last call. There were 208 calls in 2004 and 295 in 2005. Paddy Flynn, owner of the eponymous bar on Lorton Avenue for 11 years, confirmed that police have stepped up their presence as nighttime crowds have grown. I don't think we've called the police in a year and a half,? he said. I've seen less trouble in the last four or five years than I've ever seen. The fights that do happen usually it's between two guys over a high school thing that happened five years ago.?

In recent years, popular destinations like The Alibi, Straights and Blush have put Burlingame on the after-hours map, Van Etten said. He also said that most of the influx has come from out of town. Summer Sofos, a bartender since 2003 at California Bar & Grill on California Drive, said that while the number of patrons has spiked, unruly behavior remains normal. She added that crowds have become younger since she started. [The police] have more to deal with because it's just busier,? she said. Now we have to have someone at the door in the front and at the door in the back.?


Despite smaller force, crime steady

An internal study of the last 10 years shows that overall crime has remained steady despite a reduction in police staff. Between 2001 and 2004, staffing was reduced from 50 to 41 through early retirements and attrition. Since then, one officer has been added. Burlingame remains strong in its enforcement when compared with other cities in San Mateo County, according to the report.

Police Chief Jack Van Etten lauded the overall numbers, which show that there are 811 annual calls per 1,000 people, less than the county median of 872. For serious crimes in Burlingame such as murder, rape, aggravated assault, larceny and car theft, the annual rate didn't change, hovering around 1,200 reported crimes a year. However, moderately serious crimes such as shoplifting, vandalism, drunkenness and prostitution had more fluctuation.

Before 2001, there were 1,992 reported crimes a year. Between 2001 and 2004, the number spiked to 2,858. But it has since gone down, averaging 2,534 crimes in 2005 and 2006. They went up during the lean times but lately went down a little,? Van Etten said. Around 2005, 2006, we are around our 10-year average.? Reports involving gang activity have risen from 17 in 2004 to 43 in 2006, while complaints involving illegal narcotics have not changed significantly, averaging 80 a year

- Written by Fiona

Funding Sam's Legacy

Last September, on the floor of the San Mateo High School gym, SMUHSD Superintendent Sam Johnson criticized both teachers and staff for balking at a 3% pay cut that would have prevented him from cutting jobs in order to help balance the $3.5 million budget deficit that he had created. He claimed that the teachers and staff had received pay raises that were not warranted due to tax shortfalls. He then gutted the district's operations budget, laying off staff, teachers, and devastating the Special Education Departments of the schools.

It seems that as he stood on the floor of the gym that evening, he was neglecting to tell the public the whole truth. At that time, he knew of the devastating debt that he had brought upon the district, but was refusing to disclose the entire problem to the public. He hoped that the teachers and staff would take a pay cut which enable the district to hide his financial fiasco.

Mr. Johnson's actions have crushed the spirit and morale of a once great school district. He has destroyed the comradely of the teachers and staff and has eliminated all trust, goodwill, faith that has built up between the administration and its employees. He has also saddled the district with an outrageous $80 million in debt from construction cost overruns whose payments will draw upon the district's scarce funds for the next 40 years.

The following facts should have been placed before the people

March 3, 2005 Assistant Superintendent of Business Robert Arnold informed Superintendent Sam Johnson and the board that the district was experiencing a downturn in revenue and argued that the district should build up its reserves to a level of 5 percent to 7 percent to prepare for a yet unforeseen economic downturn. Mr. Johnson and the board ignored this advice.

The Mr. Johnson and the board then implemented the 7 period day without adequate funding via a parcel tax and without conducting a financial impact analysis, drawing the district's required reserve down to .25%.

The $137.5 million Measure D bond funds to renovate the schools had fallen far short of their objective. Superintendent Johnson was in charge of construction and the project ran 60% over budget. Superintendent Johnson and the board have taken out over $73 million in loans to cover the loss, placing the district debt over the next 37 years. To make matter worse, the income stream (RDA) dedicated to this debt will run out before the debt is paid off. The remainder of the payments (current -$425,000 and future) will have to come from the General Fund, taking funds out of the classroom.

Mr. Johnson is currently attempting to award a new construction bid to the same contractors who ran 60% over-budget.

When promoting the $298 million Measure M Bond to the public, Superintendent Johnson failed to disclose the $73 debt to the public. In passing Measure M, the public never knew that it would also have to shoulder the burden of an additional $73 million in cost overrun debt from the previous construction project.

Mr. Johnson will also not come to contract agreements with either the CSEA or CTA employees unions even though each of these associations are receiving ZERO % salary increases and are willing to sign an agreement.

The SMUHSD Teachers Association is planning to strike at the beginning of the 2007 school year if a contract is not settled. Teachers have planned actions for Back to School Night to help make the public more aware of this growing problem.

It is time to stop funding Sam's legacy by going deeper into debt and get back to the business of runnng a school district. The board should request that the pubic amend the Measure M bond and allow the district to pay off its $80 consolidation debt and move ahead debt free.

It is time for the public to state that it has had enough of this failed leadership and call for the resignation of the Superintendent and a change in direction of the SMUHSD school board.

- Written by JC

SMUHSD- Halliburton?

This comment was posted in another thread but deserves more attention. Does anyone have any more information or is Will Robinson willing to provide some more details


HOW DUMB DOES SAM JOHNSON think we are? At last night's (march 8) board meeting Sam tried to award his golf buddy a 24 million dollar contract for construction management. This is the same golf buddy that ran the last projects 80 million dollars over for the last bond meansure (ONLY A 65% OVERRUN!). I did some checking today with a firend who is an architect and according to the state office of school construction the maximum fee for a 200 million dollar program should be about 8 million dollars. Can you say "Halliburton"????

People, wake up!, we are talking about our property taxes here!! Thankfully at least one board member (probably the only one not in Sam's pocket) is paying attention. Danger, danger, danger. - Will Robinson

- Written by JC

New Blog from the San Mateo Times

John Horgan of the San Mateo Times has started a new blog, a link has been included on the left hand side of the Voice. These newspapers may have realized that their informational articles can be a great start for conversation and comments, just as we have found with "reposting" newspaper articles on the Burlingame Voice

The first entry on his blog page includes astonishing numbers about dollars per elementary student:

"According to County Superintendent of Education Jean Holbrook, the differences in spending per student from district to district here on the Peninsula are stunning. She says elementary dollars per child range from $6,325 all the way up to $14,572. At the high school level, those figures run from $7,006 to $10,121."

- Written by Fiona