SVUSD elects new officers, welcomes new trustee and gets on with business

Trustees Nicole Abate Ducarroz and Helen Marsh joined newly elected Gary De Smet in a brief swearing-in ceremony inaugurating their new and renewed four-year terms Tuesday night at the Sonoma Valley Unified School District’s regular meeting. In their annual selection of officers, the board voted Dan Gustafson to be president and voted trustee Helen Marsh as vice president. Ducarroz will continue in her office as clerk.
Recognizing the service of outgoing president Camerino Hawing, Gustafson praised him as intelligent, wise, solid, always listening, always seeking common ground. To illustrate, Gustafson related a phone call he’d made once to Hawing, to ask some advice, and during the call, the building started to shake. “Cam said, ‘Earthquake! Gotta go.’ Cam knows when to exit,” Gustafson said. “Even though I’m sorry to see him step down, I want to thank him. I am extremely grateful he’ll be only three chairs away.” SVUSD Superintendent Pamela Martens presented Hawing with a gavel and a hug.
Sonoma Valley High School Principal Micaela Philpot presented a site report, in the form of a 15-minute video, produced by the high school’s video department. The video showed activity, engagement, enthusiasm and excited interaction among students and teachers alike in classrooms, shop, art rooms, kitchens and out at play. At the end of the video, in voice-over, a series of students voiced their aspirations, beginning with Alicia Armstrong, saying, “I want to be a chef,” and concluding with board of trustees’ student representative Ethan Cohen summing it all up. “Because of Sonoma Valley High School,” he said, “I have a great chance to make a difference in this world.”
Trying to make a difference in children’s health, former teacher Lauren Ayers, whom Ethan Cohen calls “the vitamin D lady” since she so often lectures, during public comment, on the need for this vitamin, asked that the board consider allowing the schools to send home some printed information to parents. The board can listen, but not take action on public comments.
After general comments among the trustees, and expressions of appreciation on all sides, Luann Carlomagno, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, reported on the District Assistance and Intervention Team (DAIT) recommendations and the Local Educational Agency Program (LEAP) improvement plan addendum revisions. These, she said, were minor, and the board approved the changes.
Cheerfulness subsided as Assistant Superintendent Justin Frese took his turn and presented the First Interim Report for 2008-09 on the state of the district’s finances.
“At our last meeting,” he said, “we talked about our changing situation. I’d hoped by this time we’d know. But unfortunately it looks like we won’t learn anything until the first of the year.” In the written report he submitted, he states that the current year deficit is $434,038. He said surplus from last year should cover this, but that he expects that will change. The multi-year projections at this time include a projected deficit for 2009-10 of $72,791 and $200,937 for 2010-11. The two big questions, Frese told the trustees, were “taxes and where we’ll be, and … what is the state going to do in the current climate and what are they going to ask us to do?”
Trustee Helen Marsh voiced the grim questions with lawyerly succinctness: “The picture for the state government has got much worse since the budget adopted in September. Right?”
Frese said, “Right.”
“And between now and January, the situation in California could get much worse than it is now?”
“Right,” said Frese.
“So,” said Marsh, “the last time we met, there was the feeling we will still be okay for this year. Is that still reasonable?”
“It’s not this year that keeps me up at night,” said Frese,” it’s next year.”
“So,” said Marsh, “there’s nothing that you see on the horizon that’s going to change that forecast?”
“No,” said Frese.
Dan Gustafson chimed in. “It’s hard to find $28 billion.”
Frese said, quietly, “I’m just left with really nothing to say. It’s imminent, and like nothing we’ve ever seen before, and they can’t seem to make a decision.”
The school board meets next on January 13, 2009.