Letters to the Editor

People left out of article
Editor: Regarding George Webber’s March 22 article about archaeologist Breck Parkman, I would like to thank George for drawing attention to the Indian Memorial at the Mission. Those of us who worked very hard to make this happen really appreciate the recognition. Our thanks to Breck, who helped create it. But I think we would be very remiss if we did not mention some of the names of the people who worked a multitude of hours to gather enough money to make it a reality: Edward Castillo, a Cahuilla and Luiseno Indian who is chairman of Native American Studies at Sonoma State University; Glenn Burch, the former historian at Sonoma/Petaluma State Historic Park and Bettie Allen, who started the Docent Council program for the Sonoma/Petaluma State Historic Park. For the record, the dedication took place on Sunday, March 28, 1999.
Eriz McVey

Many built memorial
Editor: Referring to an article written in the Sun on March 22 by George Webber, I would like to add my own perspective on the subject of the Memorial to the Native Americans at the Sonoma Mission.
Breck Parkman may have had the idea of a memorial as did Ed Castillo, a faculty member at Sonoma State University and a direct descendant of a native American tribe.
But it would only be proper to give credit not only to the idea, but also to the committee that was formed and worked tirelessly and for many months raising money, bringing awareness of the project to the public and ultimately dedicating the memorial in March of ‘99, not 2000.
Sheila Cole

Don’t let band
program fade away
Editor: Did you know that the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 lists the “core academic subjects” as “English, reading or language arts, mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, arts, history, and geography?”
And also, did you know that, according to the Texas Commission on Drug and Alcohol Abuse Report as reported in the Houston Chronicle, January, 1998, “secondary students who participated in band or orchestra reported the lowest lifetime and current use of all substances (alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs)”?
Even a University of Sarasota study tells us that “middle school and high school students who participated in instrumental music performances scored significantly higher than their non-band peers in standardized tests.”
If all of the above is true, then please tell me why Sonoma’s middle school bands are shrinking at an alarming rate? Could it be that the schools administrators are not supporting the students?
A recent case in point — both middle schools, Altimira and Adele Harrison, had a fieldtrip planned where the band students were going to perform at the local elementary schools to help get more students interested in the music program. The permission slips went out to the parents and then, wow, what do you know, the administrators at Altimira say, “Nope, the band students here can’t participate. They might be taking a math exit skill test that day.”
I immediately contacted the principal of Altimira, who wasn’t in. I then went to the district office to speak with the superintendent, who “wasn’t available.” I was told to leave my name and number for her assistant to set up an appointment later that day. I did, and followed up with an e-mail to the superintendent. I received a reply, conveniently, on the Sunday after the concerts. So the band, that was to “advertise” how wonderful the program is, had only half of the students in it. And the students who were looking forward to participating weren’t even given the option of taking this test at another time.
If Altimira and Adele Harrison, as we are constantly reminded, are the same, with the same curriculum, then please tell me how come the Adele students weren’t taking the same math test? Are the administrators giving preference for one school over another? What will it take for the schools to continue to fund the music programs at our middle schools?
Not that long ago, when I was a junior high school student, somehow, in some way, we had so many music students we had a band and an orchestra. We had music every day. We also had science and even foreign languages. In junior high! Now, for some reason, even with all the statistics and research proving how important music is for students, the schools are letting us down. Please, parents, don’t let this happen to your student. Enroll your students in band, encourage them to practice their instruments. Don’t let the band program fade away at the middle schools, which it is quickly approaching. Remember: Students with coursework/experience in music performance and music appreciation scored higher on the SAT: students in music performance scored 57 points higher on the verbal and 41 points higher on the math … than did students with no arts participation. (Source: College-Bound Seniors National Report: Profile of SAT Program Test Takers. Princeton, NJ: The College Entrance Examination Board, 2001.) Do your own research, check out www.supportmusic.com or www.menc.com for more details.
Katherine Peterson

Hospital bonds
a bad idea

Editor: Issuing $100 million in bonds for a new, public hospital represents a wasteful and misdirected tax increase.
Only two years ago, the Palm Drive Health Care District in Sebastopol increased its parcel tax, on top of its existing general-obligation bonds, in an unsuccessful attempt to keep the hospital viable. With insolvency looming there, and in Sonoma in the towns of and the other hospitals in the Joint Powers Authority proposed by our new hospital CEO, we should not issue a huge new general-obligation bond. Remember, the taxes to pay that bond debt must be collected for 30 years even if the proposed new hospital were to close.
A quick calculation of the approximate average annual tax based on a $100 million bond ($200 million including interest) is approximately $444 per year for 30 years. That is 228 percent more than the new parcel tax we just approved ($200 million divided by 30 years divided by 15,200 parcels). Another “stealth campaign” won’t overcome these numbers.
Santa Rosa doctor Kelly Pfeifer recently wrote that costly and unnecessary non-emergency care, largely for uninsured patients, represented 64 percent of Sutter’s 2006 emergency room visits. Dr. Pfeifer said that the free care at emergency rooms that’s required under statute could be provided more efficiently by clinics at a cost 50 times less, and for every $1 milllion taxpayers waste on uncollectable emergency-room service we could treat 3,000 primary care patients in a clinic setting. Partnering with Cirrus will provide free emergency-room care to bona fide emergencies while directing less critical cases to a district-supported clinic (at the current hospital). A district-supported clinic combined with Cirrus’ free hospital and emergency room provides the most care to the most people and makes approving a huge new bond an expensive, 30-year mistake.
The Cirrus site on Eighth Street East is, unfortunately, outside the urban growth boundary. Consequently, a group of environmentalists has formed in opposition. Their fears of unbridled growth have already been addressed by city officials. Any annexed land not used by the Cirrus free hospital proposal can be protected by zoning. We must balance the concern for the urban growth boundary against the medical and financial health of all valley residents.
Dennis Hipps