Sinai was voted in unanimously by the four sitting board members from a pool of 10 candidates. Sinai will fill the seat vacated by former board president Leah Wilson, who stepped down in March after being appointed court executive officer for the Alameda County Superior Court. Wilson resigned citing concerns about a conflict of interest.

Current board president Karen Hemphill said that despite a strong applicant pool, Sinai had qualities that showed the board she was the most suitable person for the job.

“I felt that the Board needed someone who was already familiar with the District and was involved in public education and Julie met all of these attributes,” Hemphill said in an email.  “She has been a long-time public school activist, used to work for the District and in her current work at the university, it’s all about partnerships and collaboration.”

Before working at UC Berkeley, Sinai was also chief of staff to Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates. Sinai said she hopes to apply her previous community and university experience to the school district and help the board with its current challenges, which include a new superintendent, increased efforts to improve academic achievement and heated negotiations with teachers’ unions.

“My future plans are to become familiar with the issues that the board has to tackle and look how to move our equity work forward,” Sinai said. “I will also help with looking at the physical status of a student district and do whatever I can do to reach an agreement with the unions.”

Michelle Moskowitz, director of advocacy and institutional relations at UC Berkeley, works with Sinai and congratulated her appointment, saying she believes Sinai will exceed expectations on the board.

“I think Julie will be an amazing asset to the board, as she has many years of experience working for the city of Berkeley,” Moskowitz said. “They could not have made a better choice. All of her colleagues at the Government and Community Relations Office congratulate her.”

Hemphill said she is glad to be working with Sinai and believes that the board will benefit from working with her.

“I expect that Julie will be a great asset in building partnerships with our community, the County and of course the University,” Hemphill said in an email.  “She also will be great in furthering our work to advance overall academic achievement and Julie’s up close knowledge of what a governing body does and how an effective elected body works together through her work as the Mayor’s Chief of Staff will be very useful.”

Sinai will serve the remainder of Wilson’s term until the seat comes up for re-election in November 2014.

Contact Seif Abdelghaffar at sabdelghaffar@dailycal.org.

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The selection process for a new superintendent, which began in December 2011, reopened in February this year when previous finalist Edmond Heatley dropped his candidacy following the rise of controversy surrounding his stance against gay marriage. Evans was chosen after the district evaluated more than 70 possible candidates, according to a district press release Friday.

Evans was a favored candidate due to his extensive experience in dealing with a diverse set of students from different income levels and ethnicities, according to Karen Hemphill, president of the school board.

“Dr. Evans really encompasses the experiences, skills, and values that our community has stressed as being important in our new superintendent,” Hemphill said in an email.

Evans began his career nearly 26 years ago, working as a teacher and administrator in school districts in San Diego, East Palo Alto, Oakland and Compton before becoming superintendent of Hayward Unified School District, according to the Hayward Education Foundation website.

“I’ve had a very positive experience working with Superintendent Evans,” said Principal Ariel Dolowich of Anthony Ochoa Middle School in Hayward. “He has brought a level of accountability and reorganization to the district.”

During Evans’ tenure, Dolowich and Anthony Ochoa staff, with support from the district, saw an increase in the school’s Academic Performance Index by 86 points — a record for the school, Dolowich said.

With an emphasis on rigor, responsibility and results, Evans is noted for his achievements in developing a community-based, data-driven academic achievement plan for African American students. The school board hopes that with his experience, Evans will be able to help Berkeley with similar achievement gap issues, Hemphill said. The 2020 Vision project is one of the most visible Berkeley efforts to address the issue.

Nevertheless, some members of the community are cautious about Evans’ candidacy but are eager to see what he might bring to the superintendent position.

“I am cautiously optimistic about his selection,” said Berkeley PTA Council President Tom Killilea in an email. “The important point will be how he approaches the Berkeley community, which can be a challenge on its own.”

Board members, teachers, union representatives, staff and community members will all attend a site visit Friday, according to Hemphill, to observe Evans in his current position in Hayward.
“It’s an opportunity for the board to bring in the various stakeholders in our district to do final vetting of the candidate,” Hemphill said.

After the site visit, the board will continue the finalization process. It will create an employment agreement and vote on a final contract for Evans. If all goes well, Evans will be hired and assume the superintendent position on July 1.

Contact Jennie Yoon at jyoon@dailycal.org.

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The concept driving the program is straightforward: introductory music lessons for one hour every Friday after school, over the course of eight weeks. SCORE will pair middle school students with volunteer instructors in a combination of group and individual sessions that teach basic guitar, piano, bass and drums, with a focus on the former two. “We’re going to start off with very basic chords and move on to some scales,” said music director Danny McCarty, “and hopefully by the end of the project, they’ll all be able to play a song together in unison like a band might do.”

The curriculum is intentionally loose in order to allow each student to learn at his or her own pace. “We just want them to enjoy what they’re doing and not have any pressures of trying to fulfill a certain deadline or goal,” McCarty said. At the end of the eight weeks, students will hold a concert to showcase their new musical talents.

Although Berkeley Unified School District already has afterschool music programs, SCORE is unique in that its curriculum will be centered on rock ‘n’ roll music. The directors aim to actively and closely engage students. Although he finds all music education “very respectable,” SCORE Director Taylor Freeman seeks to fill a gap in the district’s current musical education by teaching the rock genre. “Most school music programs revolve around classical, jazz or contemporary music,” agreed Jill Coffey, BPEF school volunteers director. “So the opportunity to play in a band like group is unique in BUSD — especially for middle schoolers.”

The program also emphasizes that its instructors are to serve as role models for the children. For that reason, though there are no specific standards of musical ability required to volunteer with the program, SCORE is currently only accepting college students for its instructor positions, recruiting at universities like UC Berkeley. According to Freeman, the program hopes to bring in more tutors for individual instruction.

“We want to find people who can build face value with the students, — really come in and mentor them so they develop a relationship rather than have different people come in every time,” Freeman said. His hope is that students will engage in these mentorships and be inspired to achieve and excel in academics. Coffey also discussed how student mentors might act as a “support system (to) encourage attendance and participation” in a confusing early-adolescent environment.

In addition to teaching music in closer settings, SCORE seeks to provide music lessons to all students regardless of financial situation. “We don’t want any kid to be limited,” Freeman said. “The baseline goal is to give kids music instruction and mentorship totally free of charge, no matter their level of privilege.” He identified availability and accessibility as some of the program’s top priorities, with the hope that all students will have equal opportunity to learn music. To make this possible, the program is holding an ongoing instrument drive, collecting guitars, basses, keyboards and drums.

At the heart of SCORE is a desire to engage and inspire students. Freeman and McCarty, drawing from personal experience, consider music a vital tool in the transition through adolescence. “I grew up playing music … and it’s what really inspired me to go to school,” Freeman said. “I wasn’t a super strong student when I was young — it was music.” Similarly, McCarty hopes to share the knowledge he has acquired through eight years of experience as a guitarist.

Depending on the success of the eight-week program, SCORE may just be the first stepping stone to a greater number of programs at other schools. But for now, the directors are simply excited about the prospect of reaching out to the community and effecting positive change for middle school students. “I think the main focus is just being a force of good,” Freeman said. “The music is the thing that’s the vehicle for all this.”

Contact Josephine Yang at jyang@dailycal.org.

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Introduced by Assemblymember Joan Buchanan, D-Alamo, Assembly Bill 182 attempts to reduce the future debt burden by limiting the length of capital appreciation bonds to 25 years and restricting money owed to a maximum of four times the borrowed amount. The bill would also let districts refinance these bonds at a lower interest rate and require increased disclosure to the school districts’ governing boards.

“They shove debt on the next generation of taxpayers who won’t benefit directly from the facilities the bonds finance, which means (the next generation will) have less ability to finance what their kids need,” said Tom Dresslar, spokesperson for California State Treasurer Bill Lockyer, who has been a strong advocate for the bill.

Capital appreciation bonds have been used by public schools throughout the nation to fund large-scale projects like school construction. Unlike traditional bonds, however, for which the funds are repaid in gradual, short-term increments, capital appreciation bonds are paid back in one total amount at a set date, often decades after the bond is issued.

However, during the period between the bond’s issue date and its maturity date, interest is continuously compounded, which often results in high levels of accumulated interest. In some cases, debt payments have accrued to even 10 times the original amount borrowed, according to Dresslar.

Several groups, such as the California Association of School Business Officials and the Association of California School Administrators, believe that capital appreciation bonds should be limited but that AB 182 should be revised.

“If passed in its current form,” said Molly McGee Hewitt, executive director of CASBO, “we are concerned that many school districts will have to delay their facilities’ construction programs, resulting in substandard facilities for students, teachers and staff that are in the greatest need of them — particularly in districts that serve a high percentage of economically disadvantaged families.”

The Berkeley Unified School District is not using any capital-appreciation bonds at the moment, though the use of such bonds is “likely to happen in the future,” according to Mark Coplan, BUSD public information officer.

Karen Hemphill, president of the BUSD Board of Education, mentioned that the board has weighed the pros and cons of capital-appreciation bonds and would consider them only in the context of saving taxpayers money.

“Fiscal responsibility has been the hallmark (of the district),” Hemphill said. “We have a lot of checks and balances and accountability.”

The state Senate will vote on AB 182 in the following months. If passed and signed by the governor, the bill will be implemented beginning Jan. 1 of next year.

Contact Alison Fu at afu@dailycal.org.

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The family discovered that they would not be allowed to return to the U.S. because they had failed to renew their visas. Worse yet, they would have to wait five years to apply for a visa to return.

“I took it really bad,” Rodrigo said. “I started to cry, and I couldn’t speak, and I was really scared.”

Rodrigo, who attended Jefferson Elementary, and his parents, Javier Guzman and Reyna Mayida, were detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Houston.

In response, classmates and school parents have launched the “Bring Rodrigo Home!” campaign to push government officials to let the family return to Berkeley. The campaign includes an online petition, which has gained more than 500 signatures since Tuesday.

Humanitarian parole can be used to temporarily bring someone who may be inadmissible into the country based on a medical emergency or a large public outcry, according to parent Mable Yee, who is spearheading the campaign.

“Immigration is all of our problems,” Yee said. “My son loves to say that unless you’re a dinosaur, everyone is an immigrant.”

Rodrigo is currently staying at a relative’s house and attending school in Mexico but finds it difficult to call the place “home.”

“Home is a place where I really want to be, a place where I have my friends, a place where I have my family, a place where I’m not alone,” he said.

Likewise, classmates, friends and teachers have missed Rodrigo dearly.

“I was disappointed that he wasn’t back, and I was angry because they sent him back,” said Scott Kuwahara, Guzman’s friend who Skypes and plays Minecraft with him.

Barbara Wenger, Rodrigo’s fourth-grade teacher, was heartbroken to hear he would not be coming back. Wenger described Rodrigo as a natural leader who was quick to help peers and who, for fun, led Gangnam Style dances in class.

“He had a bright future here, and he has the potential to be the kind of future leader our country needs,” Wenger said in an email.

Rodrigo’s situation has since gained popular support in Berkeley, with City Council unanimously passing a request for humanitarian support for the Guzman family and sending letters to President Barack Obama, Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland.

Last week, the Berkeley Unified School District Board also unanimously passed a similar resolution, encouraging federal legislators to enact a compassionate immigration policy.

“This connected civil rights in a way that no textbook could, but also from the point of fourth-graders, this is someone they’ve been with since kindergarten,” said School Board Director Karen Hemphill.

Lee also said she hopes to continue to fight for immigration policy that is fair and promotes longterm economic growth.

“Stories like Rodrigo’s are a reminder of the deficiencies of the current system and underscore the need for real, comprehensive immigration reform,” Lee said.

According to Yee, the campaign is hoping to increase media attention and will hold multiple events, including a trip to Washington, D.C., to lobby for the Guzman family’s return.

“I feel very thankful that they’re helping me in a big way,” Rodrigo said. “They’re doing this whole thing, such a big thing, just to get me back home.”

Daphne Chen is the lead city government reporter. Contact her at daphnechen@dailycal.org and follow her on Twitter @dchen_dc.

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Wilson, who was elected board president in 2010, will be stepping down March 31. Wilson said her new position may be problematic if the Berkeley Unified School District were to undergo any lawsuits in Alameda County.

The last time a school board member resigned was in 1909, according to district spokesperson Mark Coplan.

Wilson, who is currently an analyst in the Alameda County Administrator’s Office, will soon take over as court executive officer, according to an Alameda County Court press release.

“(The position) is like being the city manager of the court,” said School Board Director Karen Hemphill. “She schedules court meetings and does all the paperwork. Her name will appear on a lot of documents of the court. If there is litigation involving the school district, her name would be on all of those, and it could be intimidating.”

The resignation of a school board member is rare and only happens during situations of conflict of interest and for pressing personal reasons, Hemphill said.

According to Hemphill, the president sets the tone for the rest of the board and represents it in conversations with the superintendent.

“It is hard to tell what is going to happen,” said Tom Killilea, president of the Berkeley PTA Council. “We don’t know how she will be replaced and who it will be.”

Wilson, who has been a large part of the board’s current search for a new superintendent, will have to be succeeded by someone whom the board can fill in on its process and progress, Killilea said.

Hemphill said, however, that the board president’s resignation will not delay the superintendent search in any way.

“This is a very good time to look for a superintendent,” she said. “We have got some dates set. We are scheduled to review applications next Wednesday and will hold interviews in the beginning of April.”

Wilson is scheduled to start her new position with Alameda County Superior Court on April 15. The school board will discuss replacing Wilson Wednesday night at a special board meeting at 6:25 p.m. in room 126 of the school district administration building at 2020 Bonar St., according to Hemphill.

Alyssa Neumann covers city government. Contact her at aneumann@dailycal.org and follow her on Twitter @AlyNeumann.

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If passed, Assembly Bill 199, the “Choose California” bill, would mandate that state institutions purchase foods from California farms so long as their prices are not more than 5 percent more expensive than identical items from outside the state.

Public schools would be exempt from this 5 percent threshold and would only be required to purchase from in-state producers if competing out-of-state products cost the same amount or were less expensive, according to Noelle Cremers, director of natural resources and commodities at the California Farm Bureau Federation.

The bureau, a nonprofit nongovernmental organization made up of 53 county farm bureaus whose stated purpose is to protect and promote the state’s agricultural interests, supports the legislation.

“(The bill) would help promote California-grown agricultural products,” Cremers said. “The state should play a leadership role in supporting our farmers and showing the importance of purchasing homegrown products to its citizens.”

AB 199 was introduced in late January by Assemblymember Chris Holden, D-Pasadena. The bill will soon be heard in the state Assembly’s Committee on Accountability and Administrative Review as well as the Committee on Agriculture, said Wendy Gordon, Holden’s press secretary, in an email.

“Fresh, locally-sourced produce and products are always a plus for public institutions such as state hospitals, prisons, and other state-run organizations,” Gordon said in the email. “We are optimistic the lawmakers and governor will see the value in this bill — not only to farmers but also those who will be eating fresher, locally sourced foods.”

The bill’s potential impact on the state budget is still unknown, as is whether it will benefit large farms or smaller ones and whether it will affect the amount of conventional produce grown in the state in comparison to organic crops. Cremers said she does not think the bill would change the current balance between organic and conventional products.

The UC Office of the President has yet to review the bill to take a position on it, according to spokesperson Brooke Converse. In 2008, Cal Dining worked with Buy Fresh, Buy Local, an initiative of the Community Alliance with Family Farmers, to pledge that the campus food service will purchase a minimum of 10 percent of its food products from local sources. Cal Dining is currently purchasing 60 percent of its produce from within a 16-county radius of campus, according to its website.

Schools in the Berkeley Unified School District would not be affected by the bill’s passage because the district does not purchase from out-of-state, according to district spokesperson Mark Coplan. Berkeley’s geographic location allowed it to more easily adopt a local foods model compared to other districts throughout the state, he said.

Coplan noted that 30 percent of the food in the schools is organic and comes from within 50 miles.

“It’s something that the Legislature needs to help school districts achieve,” Coplan said. “It’s something everyone needs to do, and it’s something that schools need help funding.”

A similar bill was passed by the state Legislature 2001 but was vetoed by governor Gray Davis, and a 2010 effort ended shortly after the bill was introduced in the state Assembly Committee on Appropriations.

Levon Minassian covers food news. Contact him at lminassian@dailycal.org.

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Teachers in the school district have not seen a raise since the 2008-09 school year, said Cathy Campbell, president of the Berkeley Federation of Teachers.

“I feel demoralized by the way the district is treating us,” Alamo said. “The workload that we’ve taken on is much more than we’ve had in the past.”

On Feb. 28, the school board rejected the union’s previously proposed one-time 10 percent bonus and offered a 1 percent raise for the 2013-14 school year instead, according to Campbell. Following the unsuccessful negotiations, the union is now proposing a 5.2 percent increase of current salaries, retroactive to July 1, 2012.

For Alamo, stagnant paychecks from Berkeley Unified School District combined with increasing health care premium costs have increased financial difficulties. She paid $188 per month for health care in 2009, but costs have now increased to $513 per month.

“(Teachers) want to feel like their work is valued, and that’s not how we feel right now,” Alamo said. “It feels really overwhelming.”

According to Campbell, the union was hoping the district would consider using its excess cash reserves to increase teachers’ salaries. The school district currently has $7.8 million in excess of the state’s required 3 percent reserve, the district’s budget report states.

“The union is concerned about where negotiations stand right now,” Campbell said. “There’s lots of ways to fund salary increases. We think that they need to use some of their cash reserves.”

Last August, the district’s school board did unanimously vote to give teachers a one-time 1 percent salary bonus.

“We wanted to at least acknowledge that we understood that the teachers and other staff had not received an increase for several years,” said School Board Director Karen Hemphill. “The cost of living had gone up. The cost of health care had gone up.”

The Berkeley school board declined to comment on ongoing labor negotiations, although Hemphill said topics including the optimal amount of money the district should have in its savings and the impact of Proposition 30 will be discussed.

“We do care about our teachers,” Hemphill said. “There’s still a lot more to be discussed. It’s the beginning of the process, not the end.”
According to Campbell, contract negotiations happen every two weeks. The next one is scheduled for March 14.

“Berkeley is a great district to work for,” Alamo said. “Our teaching corps is (the) best you could find in any district, (but) we’re going to start losing teachers if we don’t start compensating people.”

Daphne Chen is the lead city government reporter. Contact her at daphnechen@dailycal.org and follow her on Twitter @dchen_dc.

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Instead of learning anything about 17-year-old Tyler, the article re-reports speculations about his death and suggests circumstances leading to his death. We know nothing about the child he was or the man he will never get to be. The lede suggests the shooting was gang-related, but assertion by Oakland police is only speculation at this point.

Citing the Oakland Tribune, the Daily Cal reports that authorities charged Tyler in an attempted murder for an altercation injuring two other juveniles last fall but that the charges were dropped. The Tribune reported prosecutors dropped the charges against Jamison “because witnesses in the case refused to testify,” but the Daily Cal writes “witnesses refused to testify against Jamison.” Untrue to the original source, it could be read that Tyler may have intimidated witnesses. The article concludes suggesting the incidents may have been related, despite no connections being reported.

Following the story laid out by the Daily Cal, a reader, knowing nothing more about Tyler than the allegedly gang-related nature of his shooting, his alleged involvement in a previous shooting and the subsequent refusal of witnesses to testify, might assume this young man met his fate. The only original reporting appears to be a confirmation by Berkeley Unified School District that Tyler transferred to an unknown school. It’s interesting that the district did not know — or maybe didn’t care — where he transferred.

Instead of telling readers about who this young man was, the Daily Cal traps him in his circumstances. At least it did not identify him as a “South Berkeley teenager” or other euphemisms or code words used to criminalize some members of the population. Deadlines aside, it may have been prudent to try to find information about Tyler via social media or even to visit Berkeley Tech to get reactions from his former teachers and classmates.

Two years ago, I met Jamison in those South Berkeley classrooms while working for Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson. I helped facilitate an ancestry project for young black males to learn about their family roots through genealogy. I remember Tyler being a bold, intelligent, absolutely hilarious and critically thinking young man, climbing out of challenging circumstances to find his way in the world.

Supervisor Carson, a South Berkeley native who visited the class to share his story, remembered Tyler, too. After the project, he offered Tyler and another young man internships in his office.

“When Tyler was an intern in our office, he always showed up on time and was polite and respectful,” Carson recalled. “In his interactions with our staff, Tyler was insightful, humorous and genuinely interested in learning about government.”

We watched this young man grow tremendously over just a few short months as he challenged himself to learn more about himself and his ancestry. Sadly, he will never be able to pass down the knowledge he gained to the next generation.

“It is tragic to see a young black man with potential denied the chance to turn his life around,” Carson said. “My thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and teachers.”

For some, Tyler will be remembered as Oakland’s ninth homicide of 2013. For others, contrary to media reports, he will remain a dream denied and a positive spirit in our thoughts for years to come.

Reginald James is a senior at UC Berkeley.

Contact the opinion desk at opinion@dailycal.org.

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The state of California is expected to see a $500 million cut due to sequestration in coming months, which will influence the scope of health, community services, law enforcement and education programs provided throughout the state and in Berkeley.

While the city has yet to receive precise details on the nature, timing and placement of the sequester’s cuts, city officials grimly anticipate the consequences for various social services.

“Our community in Berkeley, along with communities in California and across the nation, will feel the impact of sequestration,” said Councilmember Jesse Arreguin. “It’s really unfortunate that Congress did not try to find a solution. It is compromising our economy, resulting in loss of jobs and cuts to education.”

Arreguin noted that those reliant on the city’s social services, such as senior citizens, the disabled and low-income to working-class families, will be hit especially hard due to these cuts.

“I think it’s going to spread a lot of pain,” said Councilmember Kriss Worthington. “The different nonprofit organizations that get these grants are the safety net that provide extremely important programs to poor people. There will be pain spread around the city.”

The Housing and Community Services Department of Berkeley projected that an 8.2 percent decrease in federal funding would result in a $666,000 reduction in the next fiscal year. This will impact services including city staffing, funding for affordable housing development and rental subsidies for homeless clients. Health services, such as the senior citizen nutrition program and vaccinations for children, will also be impacted.

Statewide cuts to primary and secondary education and law enforcement grants will also impact the city’s public schools and safety services. The Berkeley Unified School District estimates an approximately $300,000 reduction for the 2013-14 fiscal year, according to Deputy Superintendent Javetta Cleveland.

Berkeley Police Department has recognized that it will be impacted and is currently evaluating data to understand the extent of the effects, according to Officer Jennifer Coats, spokesperson for BPD.

But due to the lack of specifics regarding how deeply city services will be impacted, the city currently remains unable to take any immediate action in response, according to Worthington and Arreguin.

However, Worthington expressed hope that Congress will come up with a solution before these cuts come into effect. At this point, the city is still looking at what is possible, such as lobbying in Washington, Worthington said.

“The sequester really will have a detrimental impact on Berkeley,” Arreguin said. “The longer this goes on, the worse the situation will become.”

Contact Sophie Ho at sho@dailycal.org.

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