The Burlingame Voice

Dividing Up the High School Board

An activist lawyer out of Malibu is causing all sorts of disruption to a multitude of city councils--to no useful end, in my opinion, and perhaps even to the detriment of residents' representation.  That seems to be the consensus among the people I have spoken to in town.  We discussed it last year here.  Now the "trend" is moving towards the high school boards of trustees.  The Daily Journal notes:

Acknowledging the legal challenges associated with defending the status quo, school board President Robert Griffin said it appears as if the shift to district elections is inevitable.  “It seems to be the direction that everyone is going,” he said. “And we are going to abide by the law. We have to.”

As it stands, candidates who receive the most votes in a districtwide election are awarded seats on the school board. Under the by-district system, officials would approve an electoral map dividing the districts into wards, where candidates must live and seek support from voters within those borders.

Critics of the by-district system often claim it promotes balkanization and encourages elected officials to only defend the interest of their constituency, rather than the entire community.

In some ways I think this district approach makes more sense for a sprawling multi-city school district even if all of the negatives are still present.  It's just plain stupid in a city of 28,000 people.  As one commenter noted on the city council post, this seems like a consultant and attorney full-employment move.  Where are the state legislators who can do something about the state election law?  Too busy with saving the globe and being woke?

BSD: Between a Rock and Classroom Hard Place

For once I don't have a dog in this fight, but from what I am hearing and reading on the School post here, there are strong feelings on both sides of the issue of when to reopen in-person learning at the Burlingame Elementary Schools.  One can only imagine the concern over months and months of video classes for young kids and the absence of school sports, band, plays, speech and language help, etc.  The goodly number of kids at my nearby park (Pershing) daily after school hours is not nearly as many as there are kids in the neighborhood.

Here are excerpts from the latest message from the BSD Board of Trustees:

The recent and sudden changes made by the state which forced our school district to remain in distance learning have been frustrating for all of us. We know that it has been challenging for parents to explain to our youngest learners why, once again, they will not be going to school...San Mateo County is made up of 24 school districts, of which only 3 are open for some in-person learning, with the remaining districts at various stages of reopening plans and waivers. Burlingame School District is next in line for live instruction, with an approved reopening safety plan and approved waiver already in place....If it is safe for one district to conduct in-person education with an approved plan, then it should be safe for all districts with an approved plan.

The state hasn't been exactly helpful in this regard although a comment from Guido (apparently a teacher) on the post linked above does note:

Time to pause and not do anything stupid, I guess they think we are lazy and that's why we should be back in class. I would be teaching with a mask on and the kids in front of screens under the current conditions and probably the "Red" tier. Can't share materials, etc. By the way, the State didn't change the the rules, they clarified them for stupid administrators who can't read and are trying to force the issue for some reason.

Data might help here--or not; but the San Mateo County website provides some here.  As of yesterday, kids age 9 and below have accounted for 2,167 cases out of almost 34,000 (about 6.5%) so it's small but not insignificant.  The 34,000 total is about 4.4% of the county population.  The question is really "What are the trade-offs?"  Are the risks (well known and real) of not reopening worse than the risk of doing so?  Answering that question is what school board elections are all about, but we have to agree this was completely unexpected and not discussed as there were no debates the last time around.  I'm guessing that might change next time.

Exodus - Part 2 Elon Musk Departs

Back in July we asked "how big? and how long?" would be the exodus from the Bay Area?  We got one more view of just how big today when the Wall Street Journal reported that Elon Musk said at a WSJ CEO Summit council this week he has moved to Texas.

Taking up residence in Texas comes with personal benefits for Mr. Musk: The state doesn’t collect state income or capital-gains tax for individuals. The auto executive qualified this year for billions of dollars in stock-option compensation as part of a pay-package agreement, making him the second-richest person in the world.

During the spring, when Mr. Musk was sparring over coronavirus shelter-in-place orders that shut his factory near San Francisco, California Gov. Gavin Newsom told CNBC he was “not worried about Elon leaving any time soon” and the state was committed to the car maker’s success. “We may not be the cheapest place to do business but we are the best place to do business,” Mr. Newsom, a Democrat, said.

California’s taxes underlie many of the complaints. Its personal income tax tops out at 13.3% for amounts over $1 million a year, the highest in the nation. Capital gains are taxed at a similar rate.

In a separate piece this week, the WSJ also highlighted how mid-tier cities are gaining population at the expense of SF and NYC

For every person who moved to the Bay Area from Austin between April and October, 2.9 people moved in the other direction, according to an analysis from LinkedIn. That is a 39% increase from a year earlier.

Perhaps the Gavinor could make a phone call, apologize and get back Musk's tens of millions of dollars in annual California taxes.  He would also have to call the CEOs of HP Enterprise, Palantir and dozens of start-ups and sports stars.  But as the Journal noted "Many who call the Bay Area home have expressed relief at the departure of tech professionals who have been blamed for driving up the cost of living and congesting the freeways."  When I was an analyst, we called that a "going out of business strategy".  Nobody is less pleased with the over-development of the Peninsula than me, but if we are to fund the good stuff (schools, social services, infrastructure, pensions) and the bad stuff Newsom wants (high-cost rail, costly green policies, giveaways) then he might want to pick up the phone and start calling. 

SMUHSD: Kaufman and Land

For B'gamers the long ballot is short on local issues.  Unlike Millbrae, San Mateo and H'borough, we do not have a city council race, nor do we have any local measures like Y and R in San Mateo.  We do have a race for two seats on the San Mateo United High School District where incumbent Greg Land and two newcomers are running.  Land is well-known in town, has incumbency and has the school administrator credentials that make him a knowledgeable insider.  From where I sit, the race is between Ligia Andrade Zuniga and Neal Kaufman.

Having watched some video from their campaign websites and a good bit of the candidates' forum found here, I found this a pretty easy choice.  Kaufman has a broad perspective and broad experience.  His statement emphasizes his financial background including as Chair of the Citizens' Committee that advocated for the school bond measure that raised $385 million and as a finance professional (his day job).  This is a big district and financial controls can always use improvement.  He also hits right on the need for a school re-opening plan.  Today's Daily Post noted a poll showing distance-learning for kids has recently lost 22% of support among parents.  This is a hot button issue and needs attention--i.e. more pressure than the existing Board has exerted.

We have a number of Voice posts over the last several years about alleged misconduct by BHS school staff and District staff.  I won't get into it here, you can click on the Schools category to the right and read the history--if you have a couple of hours.  Bottom Line:  I think the next new Trustee has to have broad, more hands-on background like I see from Kaufman.  Just one man's opinion, but an informed one. 

Good Thing Our Town is Named Burlingame

From everything we know now, Anson Burlingame has an exceptional reputation even by 2020's slippery standards.  We noted much of his story here when his bust was unveiled in the library and here when we described how Burlingame, Kansas came to be.  But if we are to listen to the revisionist social justice warriors from SF, our elementary schools need to be changed--lots of them.  It's not clear if the SJWs have spent much time on old Ben Franklin who might be iffy, but Washington, Lincoln, Hoover, McKinley and Roosevelt have to go!  Good thing we don't have a Feinstein Elementary because it too would have to go.

I do wonder who will be the first B'game based SJW to broach the subject and how long it will take.  We have a bit of a breather after SF Mayor London Breed called the idea "offensive" yesterday.  Not the idea of changing, just the idea of changing in the middle of the pandemic.  I give it til the end of the year here in B'game.  So much for the idea of "teachable moments".  Better to cancel than educate.

Density Tsunami Approaches

We have known the tsunami of development has been approaching for several years.  The townhouses on Anson Lane have arrived for sale:

Brand new construction in Burlingame. This 3 bedroom, 3.5 bathroom, 2 story townhome style condo is located in the brand new community The Residences @ Anson is built by D.R. Horton, America's builder. Included features, Avalon shaker style cabinets w/satin nickel door pulls, Stainless steel Jenn Air appliances, minus washer, dryer and refrigerator.   $1,903,540.

The massive block of 268 apartments that are part of the same development on Carolan Ave. will be hitting the market soon I imagine.  I have verified with a member of the School Board that the kids in this development are zoned to Roosevelt School.

Further north, the Planning Commission has cleared the first of three big developments.  Per the Daily Journal

The Burlingame Planning Commission unanimously approved the plan to construct at 1766 El Camino Real a development featuring 60 residential units atop 148,000 of office space during a meeting Monday, Aug. 24. The plans will advance onto the Burlingame City Council, which will ultimately determine the fate of the development.  Officials admired the seven-story tower which will also feature a ground-floor lobby and retail center plus underground parking — differing from those who feared the development was incompatible with its surroundings.  

“Will it change the neighborhood here? Yes. That’s the point,” said Loftis, who noted the stretch of north Burlingame has been identified by officials as an area to build additional housing and allow greater density.  He added officials recently approved a general plan update making way for the new uses, making clear the character of the area would change.

And the next two shoes to drop are

To advance the synergy of the emerging area, plans have been filed to build a seven-story tower nearby with 169 units at the corner of El Camino Real and Murchison Drive, and about 1 mile away a proposal was made to build 120 units in a six-story development which includes cultural art space.

That's 349 new units in "North Burlingame".  I'm researching which school(s) these kids will be assigned to when they are all open.  In the meantime, I think we need a better name for this big new neighborhood. Any suggestions, readers?  There is also plans afoot at the Mercy property for a sizable residential development.  That one will be easy to name:  Have Mercy on Us.  That's 630 new units plus the Hower Auto development on Bayswater and whatever gets added at Mercy.  And still, "housing advocates" say it is not enough.........

Keep this view of ECR in mind as it won't look like that much longer.

 

BHS on Zoom: A Update

Long after one's kids graduate from BHS it's easy to recall how central to the community it (and Mills) are, hence my interest in this crazy school year.  I noted the uncertainty that was being felt in town a month and a half ago here.  Now that sessions have started, there is some information available on what is being done in the way of tech access.  Across the nine schools in the District, more than half of 7,500 Chromebooks have been distributed and another 2,200 are on order.  1,000 Wi-Fi hotspots have been distributed and 90 outdoor access points will be installed--BHS and Mills are apparently deployed already.  800 Zoom accounts have been set up.

I've gotten the link to the SMUSHD Board's first meeting post-restart; it was recorded and is available on YouTube here.  You can see BHS Principal Paul Belzer give a five minute update starting at 2:15:30.  He noted excellent attendance at "Panther Prep" day where 1,100-1,200 Chromebooks were passed out.  The counselors at BHS helped 90 students sign up for community college courses (an accelerated study tactic mentioned in the comments on the July post linked above) and another 135 students signed up for about 500 independent study courses.  He notes the challenge will be "Zoom fatigue".  No surprise there and it will be interesting to see how kids, parents and teachers react over time as it gets tougher to focus day after day, week after week.

For reference, San Mateo County is at 7,535 total cases with 14% being age 19 and below.  Hopefully Zoom attendance data will be regularly released so everyone can gauge the effectiveness vs. the risk of reopening the physical classrooms.

Changes Afoot at School Boards

The Daily Journal did a nice survey of the candidate filings for the upcoming election.  B'game is in an off-year for Council, but the all important school board trustee ranks look like change is in the wind.  First, the caveat on timing

The filing deadline for local candidates was 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7, but will be extended until Wednesday, Aug. 12 if an incumbent declines to file for re-election. There may be a delay in getting information from city clerks to the Elections Office so the information on the roster posted Friday night may be incomplete.

So for each body, there is still the possibility of new candidates since:

In the Burlingame Elementary School District, incumbent Elizabeth Kendall has qualified for the ballot with Deepak Sarpangal and Lisa A. Mudd for three seats. Incumbents Davina Drabkin and Kay Coskey have not filed for re-election.

In the San Mateo Union High School District, finance executive Neal Kaufman, incumbent Greg Land and disability rights advocate Ligia Andrade Zuniga have qualifed for three seats. Incumbent Marc Friedman did not file for re-election.

I also don't want to lose this comment from a week ago on the other school post:

A member of the SMUHSD Board has their email account set up to automatically forward communications to the Superintendent.  (How do I know, the individual member (or the IT Department) failed in the set up and did not use the entire email address on the forward and it bounced back.  When sending a communication to the Board, the following should not be the response from the mailer-daemon.

"Your message wasn't delivered to skelly@smuhsd.org because the address couldn't be found, or is unable to receive mail."

Isn't the Board elected to represent the students, parents, and community? The Superintendent is an employee of the Board. So if a citizen sends a communication to the Board, then the item is automatically forwarded to the Superintendent with all of the writer's contact information?

This assertion really needs to be addressed--probably after the election.

B'game School Days? Uncertainty Abounds

What happens in the Fall at the elementary schools, BIS, BHS, and Mills is pretty up in the air right now.  It's a convoluted picture of the science, kids' behavior, risk management and facilities.  "Groundskeeper Willie" made this comment on another school post, but the reopening question deserves its own thread.

What do you think is going to happen when the public finds out that an entire building at BHS has no operational HVAC system? The metal schools have classrooms without any windows and the buildings are enclosed. These compounds are petri dishes ready to be filled with teenage hosts passing the virus along. If the kids can't wear a mask on the Ave, what makes you think they are going to do it when no one is looking at school, or on the way to school, or home from school, or at the home of a "friend" where the virus already exists. Corona Virus likes this :}

That caught me attention more than usual because of a piece in the WSJ on Wednesday about reopening offices.

Modifications from equipment manufacturers such as Trane Technologies PLC, Carrier Global Corp. and Johnson Controls International PLC include filtering indoor air more thoroughly, drawing more outdoor air into buildings and deploying ultraviolet light against the virus inside ventilation systems.

Recirculated air should include about 20% outdoor air to effectively dilute coronavirus particles, the Atlanta-based engineers’ society says. Many buildings’ air handlers were set up to draw less outdoor air, to maximize energy efficiency.

“The past few years there was a lot of emphasis on energy saving and there was less outside air in buildings,” said Seth Ferriell, chief executive of SSC Services for Education, a Tennessee-based company that manages ventilation systems for schools and universities.

So aside from another "green" policy falling by the wayside (think reusable bags), school officials will have to consider which buildings are the lowest risk to use.  I see this pointing to more limited, shift-based schedules.  The website noted on the other post for SMUHSD paents is quite useful for following this big issue.  It's https://reopensmuhsd.com/.

BHS: Graduation 2020 Like No Other

As I look for silver linings amidst the shelter-in-place restrictions, a few things come to mind.  The staff at BHS have done a nice job of getting to virtual and providing some live memories to grads.  Tonight's virtual Senior Awards Night and Thursday's virtual graduation are first steps.  The pre-recorded graduation will feature speeches by Superintendent Kevin Skelly, Board Member Linda Lees Dwyer, Principal Paul Belzer, and three graduating seniors as well as the BHS Choir and Band.  In between is a family stroll through the gardens at Filoli tomorrow with a defined path and two ticketed entry times.  I did a similar stroll through Filoli a week ago and the setting and the gardens are a welcome change of pace.  The warm weather is expected to last through tomorrow so it should be nice down there in the evening.  Willie Brown highlighted a similar "stroll" in his Sunday column:  Monterey County grads and their families will get to drive the whole race course at Laguna Seca and get their diploma at the end.  Sweet!

Congrats to the Class of 2020.  Everyone will remember your year as something special.