We have very competitive races for both the Cabrillo Unified School District (five candidates for three positions) and Harbor District (five candidates for two positions) boards this year. Also, only one incumbent is running in each race. There is an genuine opportunity to make a real difference in the makeup of each board.

We’re taking reader recommendations for questions they want Coastsider to ask the candidates.

What questions do you want to see the candidates answer?

The Cabrillo Unified School District is now taking applications for district residents interested in serving on the Parcel Tax Oversight Committee. The deadline is Friday, Sept 3.

The committee will report to the public at least once a year on whether the parcel tax funds are being spent in a way that’s consistent with the ballot language.

The committee consist of at least seven members, including:

• one representative of the local business community
• one person active in a senior citizens’ organization
• one member from each of the two represented bargaining units
• three additional “at large appointees” as selected by the Board of Trustees, at least one of whom shall have a child enrolled in the District. 

You can download the application and committee bylaws from Coastsider.

Follow the link for Neil’s interview with Measure E co-chair Nadia Bledsoe.

Application forms for Coastside property owners who are 65 years of age or older and/or who own contiguous parcels of property within the boundaries of the Cabrillo Unified School District have until June 30, 2010 to apply for the Senior Citizen Exemption and/or the Contiguous Property Exemption in the aftermath of the successful Measure E parcel tax election that was held on June 8th.
 
Applications forms are available online at http://www.cabrillo.k12.ca.us/ or at the front desk of the Cabrillo Unified School District Office located at 498 Kelly Avenue, Half Moon Bay.  Property owners may direct questions about the application process to Melissa Keefe at the District Office at (650) 712-7123 or call 1-800-273-5167.
 
Approved applications will need to be renewed on an annual basis for the duration of the term of the parcel tax—five years.
 
Special workshops will be held on Wednesday, June 23 in the Ted Adcock Senior Center Sun Room (537 Kelly Avenue) beginning at 10:00 a.m. to distribute application forms, assist residents in completing the forms, and answer questions related to the exemption process:
 
10:00-11:00:  Senior Citizen Exemption Workshop

11:00-Noon:  Contiguous Property Exemption Workshop

School Superintendent Rob Gaskill sat down with Neil Merrilees to talk about Measure E, the proposed Parcel tax to fund the local school district, and to inaugurate Neil’s new show, Going Coastal with Neil Merrilees.

In this half hour video Gaskill explains the thinking behind the parcel tax ballot measure and makes his case why residents—both those with kids and without—should vote for it.

If you’re still undecided about how to vote on Measure E or even whether to vote at all, I encourage you to view these videos that were largely written, produced and directed by coastside students.  Along with teachers, councilors, librarians & support staff; coastside students will be the most severely impacted by the proposed cuts if Measure E does not succeed. 

Help protect coastside schools & students and vote Yes on Measure E on June 8th.  These videos are now live on YouTube…please share freely. 

Education: Measure E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQtyiryhMJo.

Yes on Measure E - Protect Small Class Sizes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k77jRbRKZOM

Yes on Measure E - Pink Slip Protest
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqpznQKGEUE

I don’t know about you, but my high school counselor was an idiot.

But I also know from personal experience that the counselors in Coastside schools do great work for the students they serve. I know this from the experience of our two children who attended HMBHS and Cunha. I also know it from the dozens of students who spoke poignantly to the Cabrillo Unified School District governing board, begging them to preserve the district’s counselors.

If Measure E fails, all counselors will be eliminated at Half Moon Bay High School and Cunha Intermediate School. Life will go on as usual, but unknown numbers of Coastside teens will suffer as a result. Their parents will lose a direct link to the school.

My daughter has a particularly awesome second grade teacher. That teacher and many others may be laid off next year, because if Measure E fails the district will eliminate class size reductions in elementary school.

A couple dozen of this year’s first graders and their parents will have no idea what they’re missing if she’s not here. They will continue to soldier on, but they will be in much more crowded classrooms.

My kids tell me that the high school library is a refuge and a welcome place for many students.  They credit one person with this: high school librarian Brian Gerber.  If Measure E fails, the high school librarian will be gone.

The district will cut maintenance, groundskeeping, athletics funding, and more. If Measure E fails, the district will have to cut $2.5 million from its budget.

The district has announced it has reached an agreement with the teachers’ union that could save hundreds of thousands of dollars. This could be used to mitigate some of these cuts, but this year’s budget uses half a million dollars in one-time stimulus funds for ongoing operations.  If Measure E fails, even more essential services will be cut in 2011. I don’t know how they’ll do it.

Don’t vote against Measure E—or fail to vote at all—because you don’t like the school board. You’ll get an opportunity to vote against the incumbent board members in November. Don’t take it out on the district’s students.

You can’t sit this one out. This is a tough election in which to propose a new tax.  Republicans have a couple of big primaries on the ballot and they’re going to be turning out in large numbers.

If you care about the future public education in the Coastside, please show up and vote yes on Measure E.

The Coastside Mothers’ Club presents its 16th annual Preschool Open House hosting 15 Coastside preschools from Half Moon Bay to Montara.  The preschools will be open for tours on Saturday, April 24, 2010 from 10:00am – 1:00pm.

The Preschool Open House is a great opportunity for interested families to meet directors and teachers, discuss curriculum, daily schedules and other program information, pick up enrollment forms and inquire about waiting lists.  No RSVP is required for the open house tours.  Attendees may visit any preschool on the list at their leisure during open house hours. This event is open to the public and free of charge as a community service to all Coastside residents.  Children are welcome. 

The Preschool Open House program will include:

The cast and crew of “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” is looking for someone to record their final performance on Sunday afternoon. If you’re able to help, please call Cheri at 650.576.8991, or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)