Board hears concerns about testing, ag classes, parcel tax
Jeff Hudson | Enterprise staff writer
The Davis school board heard concerns relating to ag and music classes, kindergarteners and other topics on Thursday night, and held another discussion outlining plans for the upcoming parcel tax renewal campaign early next year.
Gary Pearson, father of a recent Davis High School graduate who participated in agriculture classes at that campus, came to the microphone during public comment and expressed concerns about the recent departure of ag teacher Amy Schulte, who had headed the ag program at the high school for several years. Schulte resigned this month and took a job with the Tracy school district.
Hiram Jackson, a parent and longtime supporter of music programs, also came to the microphone and told the trustees that so many students have signed up for music this year that the school district has lent out all available district-owned instruments, and the local music store (Watermelon Music) has rented out all available instruments as well.
Retired kindergarten teacher Phyllis York, a former president of the Davis Teachers Association, also addressed the board, expressing concern about the “pressures” placed on kindergarten students because of the federal No Child Left Behind Act and its Adequate Yearly Progress benchmarks.
The school board also held another discussion of the timeline for the upcoming parcel tax renewal campaign. The school district is expected to place a ballot measure before voters in a vote-by-mail election concluding on March 6. The amount of the parcel tax renewal, the number of years that the parcel tax would remain in place, and other details have yet to be discussed by the board members.
Trustee Gina Daleiden noted that the two parcel tax measures — Q and W — that are up for renewal represent $6.5 million of the school district’s budget, offsetting some of the budget reductions for education by the state.
Longtime Davis resident and former State Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin delivered a ringing endorsement of the programs supported by the existing parcel tax measures.
“We have a world-class music program (in the schools), we’ve still got counselors and librarians and school nurses. It is incredibly important that we continue these very important programs that have made us the best school district in the region,” Eastin said. “We need to fight to keep the Advanced Placement classes,” Eastin added, stressing that science is an important subject area that has been cut in too many school districts.
Eastin also said she is proud that Davis is “the first school district in the nation to add children’s nutrition into a parcel tax,” in the form of support for the Davis Farm to School program through parcel tax funds, bringing fresh locally grown ingredients into student meals.
The school board trustees noted that they will soon be fanning out to attend PTA and school site council meetings to discuss the parcel tax renewal with parents, teachers and community members.
This article originally appeared in the Davis Enterprise on September 16, 2011. The complete story is available to subscribers at http://www.davisenterprise.com.
