December 24, 2010 > Sunol Glen School Board meeting review Sunol Glen School Board meeting review By Alyson Whitaker The December 13 school board meeting began with the swearing in of newly elected board members Gerry Beemiller and Diane Everett. The two join Neil Davies, who will continue on as President of the Sunol Glen School Board for another one-year term. Following the swearing in, a brief celebratory reception was held before the official meeting was called to order. Seventh grade teacher Suzette Takei made a presentation about the CPR-7 program, in which the 7th and 8th grade classes are participating. The Alameda Health Department has partnered with Alameda County School Districts and Fire Departments to increase awareness about the importance of early response in the event of a medical emergency. It typically takes paramedics three to seven minutes to arrive at the scene of a medical emergency. If the patient does not have a heartbeat during these critical first moments, their brain is deprived of oxygen. Research has shown that only about 20 percent of patients who are without a heartbeat for this amount of time survive the incident. Of those, only about 10 percent are able to regain full function and return to a normal life. Receiving chest compressions following a heart-stopping event pumps oxygen to the brain, even when mouth-to-mouth breathing is not given. This increases the survival rate up to 80 percent. The CPR-7 program teaches the basics of CPR to young people, primarily 7th graders, throughout the county. The 17,000 students receive a training kit including a dummy, and are trained in the techniques as well as encouraged to go out and train five more people. To date, the 25 seventh graders at Sunol Glen have trained 143 others in CPR, and the 18 eighth graders have trained 118 people. The program is tied into both the health and science curriculums, and has been received with great enthusiasm by students, parents, teachers, and administrators. A representative from the Community Club gave an update on current events and activities. A big need this year is improved technology, both in the classrooms and computer lab. The Community Club has allocated $5,000 of their annual budget to assist in the efforts to increase the availability and quality of the technology at the school. A grant from NASA Ames will be providing a large supply of three-year old computer workstations, printers, and laptops to the school, replacing the current outdated machines. In addition, the Community Club is teaming with the school Technology Committee to research improved Internet speed options as well as the availability of wireless Internet service in the classrooms. Board member Gerry Beemiller suggested working with the community and downtown businesses to research options for a downtown wireless Internet "hub," similar to what Pleasanton and Livermore currently have. This would provide increased Internet speed to the school, as well as free access to visitors in the Main Street area of Sunol. Jeff Potter, of the Alameda County Office of Education, presented the First Interim budget report. The 2009/2010 fiscal year ended slightly better than expected, which has improved the financial outlook of the district for the 2010/2011 year. However, he cautioned that the future of state funding to education is still grim, and current projections show the district will have a deficit of nearly $100,000 by the 2012/2013 school year unless cuts are made or additional revenue sources are secured. Due to delays at the county level, the board did not have the opportunity to review the First Interim report prior to the meeting. As a result, board members were not comfortable voting to approve the budget report without further discussion. They have 72 hours to review, discuss, and request changes or revisions to the budget before submitting their approval and final First Interim budget update to the County. A representative from the SPEAC Up (School Preservation & Enhancement Action Committee) was in attendance. The SPEAC Up group's primary goal is to seek out ways to raise money to help and support the school. The group has applied for a couple of grants and is in the process of establishing the Sunol Glen School Foundation. The non-profit foundation would provide the community and other potential donors a way to support the school financially, and would team with the school administration and board members to determine the best use for the funds. The next meeting of the SPEAC Up committee will be held on January 19 at 6:30 p.m. in the school library. All are invited to attend. During the public comments portion of the meeting, community member Barbara Dršher Kline stood up and voiced her support of the school. While she does not have children at the school, she is passionate about education, and wanted to attend the board meeting to get an accurate picture of the state of the school. She encouraged other community members to look for ways to get involved, and emphasized the importance of not placing blame for any perceived shortcomings. Al Mendall, a parent of two students at the school, also addressed the board. After spending time with relatives in Southern California and seeing the desperate state of education in other parts of the state, he appreciates the great efforts being made by Sunol Glen administrators to do the very most with what they have. Districts everywhere are having to make tough choices, but in spite of the great financial difficulty, Sunol Glen USD is strong and continuing to put students first. Principal/Superintendent Molly Barnes updated the board and audience on staff and curriculum development. She has been working with teachers, establishing focus groups for language arts and math in an effort to increase commonality across all grades for core subjects. She shared that in a time when many schools are stripping all arts from curriculum, Sunol Glen is continuing to encourage students to develop their creative skills. The Third Sunol Glen Film Festival was held last week, where dozens of students showcased their unique and original short films. Staff members are constantly looking for extra-curricular enhancement activities for students. Closing comments were made by both Diane Everett and Gerry Beemiller. Ms. Everett thanked the audience for their attendance and support in the recent election. Mr. Beemiller expressed his appreciation to voters as well, and indicated that the time has come for the Sunol community to bind together in support of the school. He feels that much of the "small town" feel of the school has been lost in recent years, and hopes to regain that environment while still continuing to provide a solid education to the students. The next board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 18.