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A Promise of Power Measure B citizen's oversight committee born in shouting match To B or not to B? That is Galt’s question on building a high school Galt High crusade for $30 million bond gains speed Galt High board to poll public on bond for new school campus Galt district unification put on hold at high school level Galt picks new schools chief Galt superintendent says she's quitting Trustees hire Galt High School principal as district's new superintendent Galt High superintendent probably violated contract, trustees say Galt school superintendent resigns Election revives talk of merging Galt school districts Galt High School superintendent plans to resign Galt High School hardship grant draws skepticism Galt bond measure sparks Acampo resident to become community activist Crowded Galt High now braces for more Galt puts bond on back burner Galt school board rejects putting a bond on ballot Galt rejects school bond vote Galt High to forgo school bond this year Debate is still boiling in Galt Galt activist pushing for high school Galt school board faces long odds Galt High to hold community forum on school bond Push for Galt high school persists Residents suggest asking voters for $24 million Residents voice opinions on Galt High bond making it on ballot Galt chamber to sponsor school bond forum District regroups following bond loss Galt High may have group review bond options Suggestions for new bond to be presented Galt regroups after another bond failure       A Promise of Power By Sara Cardine News-Sentinel Staff Writer Galt residents have expressed concerns that they were lied to when the Galt High School District promised to put spending power of the $29 million Measure B bond into the hands of a community oversight panel. Meanwhile, district officials and trustees assure that no promises have been broken and that the board still intends to build a second high school according to the desires of the public. Meeting Information When: 7 p.m. today Where: Galt High School District office, 417 C St., Suite B, Galt Two board members drafted a set of bylaws for the oversight committee that they hoped would be approved at Tuesday's regular board meeting. Instead, the board at large agreed to table the item so that members of the community panel could give their input on what their rules should be at their first meeting tonight. Some members of the panel are claiming that the bylaws proposed Tuesday strip them of their rights to make recommendations directly to the board on how to best spend bond money. That was a promise the district made to the public in several documents, but not on the official Measure B ballot. "It's amazing," said Terry Parker, a Galt parent and member of the oversight committee. "They're taking all the powers away from us to do anything — I'm not surprised, but I am disappointed." On Wednesday, Superintendent Thomas Gemma said he saw no discrepancy between what was promised voters before the election and what is spelled out in the bylaws. For example, he added, the committee cannot redesign Liberty Ranch High School and cannot make suggestions that would compromise the plans, or take more money or time than has been budgeted. Aside from that, all other recommendations for the specific project will go directly to the board for consideration. Some oversight committee members felt a bond resolution drawn by Gemma promised more than consideration. In the resolution, that established the oversight committee, the board agreed on "following and adopting the recommendations of the independent oversight committee regarding the design and construction of a second high school." The proposed bylaws, however, hold committee members to sections of the California Education Code that state members do not have the authority to determine how bond funds shall be spent. The language seems more restrictive than it actually is, Kent Pollock, the district's media specialist, said in an interview Wednesday. The board still plans to adhere to the committee's recommendations on the new school as long as they save the district money and are in accordance with the existing plan for the high school, Pollock said. Chamber of Commerce political consultant Nick Garcia said if the board overturns recommendations that meet the criteria officials have outlined, a lawsuit could be filed. What this means to you Several members of Galt's Measure B Citizen's Oversight Committee are claiming the board drafted bylaws that strip its power to oversee spending of a $29 million school bond. Many feel the formation of the group helped pass the bond for voters who would otherwise have voted against it. The board, however, says it agrees to uphold recommendations, but cannot give up total control. Art Oelsner, a Galt parent and outspoken critic of the board in the past, is one of the 17 oversight committee members scheduled to attend an orientation meeting at 7 p.m. today. He maintains the bylaws rescind promises made to garner support from voters who would otherwise have been on the fence about Measure B. "There's no chance this independent committee's members are going to accept anything like this," Oelsner said. The committee will have the chance to review the proposed bylaws and suggest changes to Gemma, who will take the recommendations to the board for approval at its January meeting. Contact reporter Sara Cardine at sarac@lodinews.com.

11/26/05 Measure B citizen's oversight committee born in shouting match By Sara Cardine News-Sentinel Staff Writer Emotions ran high Tuesday night as Galt residents packed into the library of Galt High School to throw in their two cents about a $29 million bond to build a second high school campus. After two hours of outpouring in favor of and against Measure B, being put before voters Nov. 8, trustees formed a group to oversee spending of bond money and assure voters that a new high school is to be a community-driven effort. "We're going to meet as soon as possible," said Galt High superintendent Thomas Gemma about a 17-member citizens oversight committee. The new panel will be responsible for monitoring spending of Measure B only if the initiative gets the two-thirds of the vote required for passage. Members of Galt High's bond campaign committee spoke about their confidence in the success of the bond, but did express concerns from the public that an oversight committee had not been formed sooner. "We've really had overwhelming support for this bond," campaigner and Galt parent Krista Lopes told board members, "I have heard people talking about the importance of establishing an oversight committee." With less than two weeks until the November election and a fiscally conservative taxpayer base, the district has to make sure Measure B sails on smooth waters. Unlike the last four failed bond attempts at the high school level, some of which were hotly contested, Measure B was initially supported both in and around Galt. But last week, several people withdrew their support for the bond, citing that the district failed to adhere to language on the Measure B ballot, saying an oversight committee would be formed before the November election. Galt parent Art Oelsner, said talks of forming an oversight committee months after Superintendent Thomas Gemma promised is too little, too late. "Tonight's meeting is our school board's attempt to put a politically correct Band-Aid on a self-inflicted gunshot wound," Oelsner told the audience. Several members of the audience responded to Oelsner's comments with snorts, name-calling and spontaneous outbursts. As Oelsner left the meeting in a flurry of activity, Trustee Pat Maple stood up defended the right of everyone to have his or her say in a public forum. Later trustees unanimously approved the appointment of 17 oversight committee members — including Oelsner, himself, who will sit on the panel as a member of a taxpayer's organization. "It's disheartening to see that we, as a board, were being pulled back into politicizing what was nothing more than an effort to build a school for kids," said Board President Dennis Richardson in a comment period. The 5-0 vote was met with cheers from audience members, may of whom had spoken about the need for a second school to alleviate overcrowding at Galt High School, where 2,100 students are on a campus meant to hold 900. Board members and supporters of Measure B stressed Tuesday the need for a second campus. Among the voices was James Dunn, a Galt High senior who sits as a student representative on the board. "The students of Galt High School feel there is a need for something," Dunn told fellow board members. "As a student ... I urge you to build something." Contact reporter Sara Cardine at sarac@lodinews.com.

To B or not to B? That is Galt’s question on building a high school By Sara Cardine News-Sentinel Staff Writer When Galt voters go to the polls in November, they will be asked to decide on a $29 million general obligation bond that could build the area’s second major high school. To pass, it requires a two-thirds majority vote. No one seems to dispute that the Galt High campus is crowded — nearly 2,200 kids learn elbow-to-elbow on a site meant for 900, and several teachers have no classroom of their own. Factor in a growth rate that officials say will add more than 150 new students each year, and a second campus becomes a matter of necessity. But last week, the bond drew its first public opposition from residents who have promised to battle an administration they call untrustworthy. The issue centers around how much spending control the board will relinquish to a citizens’ oversight committee and whether the superintendent is making false promises about its formation. Keeping citizens happy is key given Galt High’s historic bond failure rate. The past four bond initiatives put forth by the district since 1998 have failed in the face of organized opposition groups, which were vocal in their distrust of high school board members, and a relatively low voter turnout. Just last year, the $16-million Measure G bond failed with more than 60 percent “no” votes. Many attribute the loss, in part, to Galt High parent Art Oelsner, who campaigned vigorously against the measure. Oelsner represented a group within the community that believed the board and then-Superintendent Christine Hoffman were not fiscally responsible enough to spend funds wisely. But supporters of Measure B say the district, under the leadership of new Superintendent Thomas Gemma, has greatly improved over the past year. What hasn’t improved, they add, are conditions on the campus. For and against Galt resident Krista Lopes is the mother of three students, one of whom is a sophomore at Galt High. She has been actively campaigning for Measure B by manning a phone bank, where she calls and talks about the bond with registered voters. She said she hears the stories from kids about the conditions at the school. “They just tell me about how crowded it is, that the classrooms are packed,” Lopes said. “We are dying for a new high school.” To shore up support a new school, board members have put the reigns of the Measure B campaign in the hands of residents like Lopes. They appointed a bond campaign committee, made up of a cross section of citizens, to help iron out bond language and hit the streets in support of the initiative. Supporters focus on crowding issues at Galt High, while detractors, like Oelsner, agree that a new school is needed, but point to their dissatisfaction with what they see as a gap between what’s being promised and what’s delivered. The main bone of contention between the district and would-be naysayers seems to be the formation of a citizens’ oversight committee — a nine-member group appointed to watchdog Measure B spending once the bond is passed. Gemma agreed to form the group, even though it is only required for bonds that pass with a 55 percent majority. He recommended at a board meeting Tuesday a list of nine-potential committee members, including Oelsner, but said it was up to the board to make a final decision. “I have (made) a good faith effort by putting out my choices,” Gemma said in a phone interview before the meeting. “We need to be patient and trust that the board will do the right thing.” But on Friday Oelsner said the superintendent promised to form the committee even before the Nov. 8 election, and that the appointment of members would be Gemma’s responsibility, not the board’s. He added that Gemma told him two trustees wanted his name removed from the list. Oelsner also expressed a concern Friday that forming a committee would fall by the wayside once the district passed Measure B. He and others have expressed their concerns on Oelsner’s Web site: http://www.galtsnewhigschool.com. “The oversight committee was the bridge to the community that would enable this to happen,” Oelsner said in an interview Thursday. “It was my way of trusting them, and they screwed it up.” In a statement prepared Saturday, Gemma said he was perplexed to hear of Oelsner’s decision to fight Measure B, but was hopeful any misunderstandings could be worked out. “Support for the bond runs wide and deep in this community,” Gemma said in his statement. “We hope to prevail upon (Oelsner) to put political considerations aside and help us get this bond passed for the kids.” The superintendent added that the oversight committee members have been appointed, though board approval would guarantee that they have the power to make decisions, as spelled out in the bond language. By the numbers Winning by a two-thirds majority is no small task, especially in a community of conservative taxpayers. To answer those concerns, the district scaled back its taxation levels for the proposed bond, asking only $46 per every $100,000 of assessed property when an in-depth survey performed in June revealed $50 was an uncomfortable burden for most voters. The cost of a new high school in Galt has been set at $71 million. The price tag will cover the construction of a full campus, complete with theater, stadium for athletics as well as lockers and extra storage. If Measure B passes, taxes on assessed property will bring in $29 million. State matching funds will add another $27 million to that. The district will add money charged in developer fees as well as other funding to bring the grand total to about $68 million, according to Gemma. The district has many options for bridging the $3 million gap between the districts earnings and the proposed cost of the new high school. Officials might decide to cut costs by scaling back on things like lockers, parking lots and playing fields. The district could also seek financial help from YCH Communities, a Pleasanton-based developer looking to build up to 1,200 homes near Marengo Road northeast of Galt. Despite the newly formed opposition and the financial details that still need to be worked out, Measure B backers hold out hope the needs will outweigh politics when voters go to the polls Nov. 8. Lopes, for one, said she is confident that Measure B is already starting out on firmer ground than its predecessors. “I’m hopeful we can get this thing out there. It’s definitely a much more supportive environment than it was in the past.” Contact reporter Sara Cardine at sarac@lodinews.com.

Galt wants second high school -- but not the bill for it By Sara Cardine News-Sentinel Staff Writer A new survey says Galt High district voters support a second school, but aren't willing to pay the projected $71 million for it. Even so, district officials remain hopeful that a compromise on what to build and how much to spend can be reached before the November election. Galt High Superintendent Thomas Gemma said he was not surprised to learn that the district may have to scale back on how much it asks from taxpayers, but feels confident that an era of openness will lead both parties to an agreement. Board President Dennis Richardson hopes a district-led community forum in late June will net results on what it will take for the public to support a bond. The survey suggests, however, that even with a realistic compromise the district would fall short of the $71 million it needs to put plans in place. The $15,000 survey polled responses from 405 registered voters in the district who agreed to a telephone interview. YCH Communities, a Pleasanton-based developer offering cash contribution toward a new school, paid for the survey. The survey revealed that: • About 70.6 percent of people polled would favor a bond proposal to build a new school • Only 61.2 would favor a bond that taxed $50 for each $100,000 of assessed property value • Less than 54 percent of voters 65 and older would support a bond at the same tax rate • 23.2 said the Measure G bond failed in 2004 because citizens weren't willing to pay increased taxes • 21.2 percent blamed confusing ballot language for the failure of the last bond • More than 34 percent of those polled said they would not financially support the building of a full-fledged high school, including complete arts and athletics programs. If the district scaled back the taxes it asked of its residents from $50 to $39, the total amount garnered would be only $20 million. A complete match of funds from the state would bring the district $30 million short of its plans for a fully outfitted high school. In that situation, the district would have to limit the scope of a new school, possibly eliminating sports and arts programs, officials said. Gemma hopes the community forum will truly help the district gauge how far citizens will go to see a new school built. "People do want a new high school, it's just a matter of what they're willing to pay for it," the superintendent said. When asked if they wanted a comprehensive high school, 78.5 percent said yes. But when they were told what a comprehensive high school meant -- a state-of-the-art performance theater, specialized classrooms for ceramics and other creative arts as well as a full athletics program -- only 66.4 percent of those polled said they'd be willing to pay. Instead, as many as 71.3 percent of voters polled favored a basic high school, without athletic teams or areas for creative art programs. Art Oelsner, who campaigned against the district's last bond measure, said the survey results do not exactly spell success for bond seekers. "If you ask the questions the right way, you'll get the answers you want," he said. Oelsner added that he will fight any bond that puts millions into the hands of a board he's called inept and fiscally irresponsible. An effective bond campaign will mean getting as close to the taxpayer's threshold without going over and trimming as much fat as possible from the school design without sacrificing the high school experience. If citizens like Oelsner work to defeat a future bond, the district could be faced with building a high school with state hardship money -- an option that Gemma said is not entirely out of the question. "I know it's an uphill battle," Gemma said of the bond campaign, "but if we don't pass it, we'll go for hardship money and do what we have to do." Galt High School board members will meet tonight to hear updates on the bond campaign as well as the 2005-06 budget at 6:30 p.m. at Galt City Hall, 380 Civic Dr. Contact reporter Sara Cardine at sarac@lodinews.com.   Galt residents join forces with district for new high school By Sara Cardine News-Sentinel Staff Writer When Galt resident Art Oelsner decided in 2003 to vote against a bond to build a second high school, there was only one other person he knew who shared his views -- his wife Stephanie. Their two-person campaign quickly grew as they asked Galt voters to read what they thought was a poorly written and confusing Measure G bond. That bond failed just four months later with less than 45 percent of the vote. Now that the Galt Joint Union High School District is testing the waters for another possible bond election in November, Oelsner has stepped up to resume the role of local activist. But this time, he is willing to work with the district to pass a bond and get a second school built, and he is enlisting the help of others. On Wednesday night, a cross-section of about 30 Galt residents and parents turned out at the Chabolla Center to support a new political action committee being led by Oelsner that they feel may change the face of district politics and end Galt High's four-time bond losing streak. Members of Parents Demanding Accountability plan to take an active role in local politics. Some will form a panel for interviewing future school board candidates while others sit in on City Council and school board meetings or participate on bond committees. Galt High Superintendent Thomas Gemma, who attended Wednesday night's meeting, talked to the group about a new era of openness at the district level and invited their input during the planning stages of a bond campaign. "If you have a question and I don't have an answer, I'll get it for you," he promised the audience. The superintendent, who began as district head in January, stepped outside during the meeting to get from his truck the drawings proposed for the new high school to be built off Marengo Road, as well as plans for a new Estrellita Continuation High School on the same property. He spread them out for people to look through and offered to answer any questions. Before he left the meeting, Gemma set a pile of business cards on a table by the drawings and invited anyone with questions about the district to call him for an appointment.   Art Oelsner speaks at the first meeting of a committee designed to be a watchdog of the Galt Joint Union High School District at Chabolla Center in Galt on Wednesday. Oelsner is the head of the committee. (Mike Graffigna/News-Sentinel) Galt High parent Raquel Lemieux said Gemma is making a smart move by being open with the public. "He's putting his foot in the right direction," Lemieux said. "He's definitely a positive face for the high school." Lisa Steele sits on the board for Arcohe School, a K-8 site that feeds students into Galt High. She voted against the last bond measure because she did not trust the high school board to spend the $15 million bond money properly. If a bond passes this time around, she hopes that a citizen's oversight committee, with at least one acting PDA member, will monitor how the district spends bond funds. So far, about 40 people have paid for membership in PDA. Included in the list are former high school board members Ann Ullrich and Gary Silva, current board member Norman Pearson and Perry Hariri, vice president of YCH Communities, which has offered to help the district fund a portion of the new high school. Kent Pollock, a media specialist and the district's hired hand, said he paid the $10 membership fee for the group because its founders have the same goal as the district -- to see a second high school built. According to Oelsner, however, the group could change its course midstream if members still feel a lack of confidence in the district come election time. PDA, he added, could become a force of opposition to any bond not written with the public in mind.     Kent Pollock   But for now, Oelsner said the group's focus is bringing together what he sees as a triangle of influence in the high school district -- administration, school board members and the public. And with a beginning participation rate of more than 20 times what he started with in his anti-Measure G campaign, Oelsner feels confident he can help make a difference for the better of Galt's children. "I desperately want this group to be a positive movement and an attempt to see good schools in Galt," he added. Contact reporter Sara Cardine at sarac@lodinews.com.

Galt High crusade for $30 million bond gains speed By Sara Cardine News-Sentinel Staff Writer Monday, Apr 18, 2005 Galt High School's push for a $30 million bond to build a second high school includes at least three protagonists. Each wants a new school for the benefit of the students. Each agrees a bond is the best way to make it happen. Yet they cannot agree on a key point, and some say that lack of agreement could jeopardize a bond. One key player is Thomas Gemma, Galt High's new and well-regarded superintendent. He has until the November election to burnish the district's image and enhance trust among area voters. Another is Galt High parent Art Oelsner, a critic of the district and linchpin of public opposition to last year's Measure G bond campaign. The third is Galt High Trustee Pat Maple, who has served the board for six years. He has drawn criticism from Oelsner and others for mismanaging money and opposing a bond in 1999 that failed by 2 percent of the vote. As November draws closer, Galt High officials are focusing on how to parlay increasing test scores and academic success into a bond they say is sorely needed. But they also acknowledge that public opposition would likely sink the bond, and that opposition would most likely be led by Oelsner, who has stated bluntly that he wants Maple off the board. It's a game of high-stakes politics without a clear outcome. Yet officials are worried that, if a bond fails again, the students will be the only losers. As the hired middleman and a newcomer to the city, Gemma is learning where the votes are and finding the true pulse of the community. The superintendent has hired media relations and bond campaign consultants who are in the process of sizing up the district and its players. "We're all in agreement that we need the same thing," Gemma said. "That's the common denominator, but how do we get there?" The superintendent admits that, in the past, the board has not been fully responsive to public concerns. With the help of media specialist Kent Pollock, he hopes to begin a period of openness and put all the facts before the public. Within the next few weeks, the district will draft a new survey designed to pinpoint voter support and improvements that should be made this time around. The idea is to let voters know exactly when and where the bond money will be spent, Gemma said.   Art Oelsner Meanwhile, the district's panel of experts, including Bond Consultant Connell Lindh and Media Specialist Kent Pollock, is holding meetings with each of the school board members, as well as members of the community who have been involved in past campaigns. That includes the district's harshest critics -- like Oelsner. An eye for errors A Galt High parent, Oelsner has been in the public eye since his vocal opposition to the Measure G campaign began in late 2003. He claims his activism comes from a concern about what's best for children, but has been criticized by some board members for acting out for political reasons. At first, he says, he was supportive of the bond. But when he asked to read the actual bond language and was denied, he became suspicious. He then discovered what he claimed were inconsistencies between what the board was promising and what the ballot said it would deliver. Among the list of projects to be covered by Measure G funds were improvements of the Estrellita Continuation High School campus, a new district office building and state-of-the-art football field. He began a campaign against Measure G. Oelsner took out newspaper ads declaring the failures of the district and started a Web site that listed his complaints with the actions of former Superintendent Christine Hoffman as well as Maple, who was board president at the time. "Without this list of errors and blunders, I wouldn't exist," Oelsner said of his political position. "They created me." Also on the Web site was a list of criteria the district would have to meet before Oelsner would support a bond. The criteria included annexing the property along Marengo Road into the city, by transferring it from the jurisdiction of Sacramento County to the city of Galt, and pursuing a two-thirds bond campaign. While he admits the district has started or met each of the criteria, Oelsner is withdrawing his support until one additional requirement is met -- the removal of Pat Maple from the board. "It's time for him to take one for the team," Oelsner added. How much clout does Oelsner have? Retired Galt High teacher and former Trustee Jim Aschwanden said Oelsner speaks for a large segment of the community who will not vote for a bond as long as Maple sits on the board. He criticized Maple for publicly campaigning against a $30 million school bond in 1999 that failed by only 324 votes. "Mr. Gemma is trying to do the right thing, but has a board nobody can trust," Aschwanden said. "They're in a tar pit up to their eyeballs and it's a situation they created." An outspoken board member Maple, who runs a roofing company in Galt, is an outspoken board member who isn't afraid to speak passionately on a topic he believes in. He is generally unapologetic about the decisions he makes on the board and is generous with his time and money when it comes to causes that support students, both at Galt High and Estrellita Continuation High School. "Kids call me Uncle Pat," Maple said. "Why? Because I have a vision for the kids." Maple has served on the board for the past six years. He says he campaigned against the 1999 bond because he felt it would take steam from a $7 million bond being pursued by the elementary school district. Maple feels he's been personally targeted by Oelsner and other members in the community who were displeased with Hoffman's brief 17-month reign as superintendent. He admitted he made a mistake last year when, as board president, he and Hoffman sought out and received $6.4 million in hardship money from the state without informing other board members. He added, however, that he sees no reason to step down from office. "I actually think the district's doing pretty damned good," Maple said, pointing out the school's recent 71-point gain in its standardized test scores. He also mentioned a $1.18 million science lab completed in January for science students.   Pat Maple Though Maple and other trustees heavily campaigned for Measure G last year, the board would like this campaign to be led by members of the community, so personal politics can be avoided. Maple hopes that a well-liked and savvy superintendent and a new era of openness in the district will reveal to the public the true nature of the board -- people who want what's best for Galt high school students. "Once people get to know who I am, and not this guy they're trying to turn me into, I think we'll be fine," Maple said. A clear and growing need A new campus would reduce traffic and give students more space to learn, while providing services and meeting space for members of the public. But more importantly, Maple said, it would show the students of Galt that parents and administrators care about what's best for them. It's a sentiment that Galt High parent Leo VanWarmerdam echoes. A long-time friend of Maple's who has campaigned for Measure G and served on the steering committee to plan a new high school, VanWarmerdam thinks the bickering needs to stop. "We need to show the students of this community the adults can lead," VanWarmerdam said. "Every year we wait, it's going to be more and more difficult to build a new school." A bond to build a new school off Marengo Road could go before voters as early as November. If it does, the $30-million measure will have to be approved by two-thirds of the vote -- no small feat in a small city with a lot of property owners. If the district waits until next year to hold a special election, officials will only be able to ask for an annual tax of $30 per each $100,000 of assessed property they own, or a total of $15 million. Elections in Galt generally see a 35 percent turnout of the district's 16,500 voters. That means an average of 5,700 voters are expected to show up at the polls in November. For a school bond to be approved with two-thirds of the vote, as few as 1,900 no votes can kill the district's chances of building a second school by 2009. That's why Gemma wants to make sure the campaign goes smoothly this time. He and the board are left to figure out how they will convince voters that a new school is not a luxury, but a necessity. And time is running out. Trustee Sue Roberts said she is tired of politics getting in the way of building a new school. Instead, she hopes the community will be able to set aside its differences long enough to do what's best for students. " What's important is what we're doing here for our kids," Roberts said. "It's just not about individuals. It's about doing what's best for kids -- period." Parents Demanding Accountability Oelsner has already begun forming a political action committee, along with former board members and residents, that he hopes will create a voting bloc when it comes to Galt High School politics. The PAC, he says, will be a community-driven watchdog group designed to keep up with current affairs. But come election time, the group will also raise campaign money for or against the bond. With enough support the group, called Parents Demanding Accountability, could be a force for Gemma and the district to reckon with. According to Maple, however, Oelsner's power to affect the outcome of an election is minimal at best. "He didn't single-handedly affect anything," Maple said of Oelsner's role in the failure of Measure G. But this time around, a political action committee registered through the California Secretary of State's office has the potential to become the organized opposition that Lindh says has the power to sink ships. Gemma said the district's openness policy would be successful in convincing voters that the board could be trusted to do what's best for the students. But whether or not Gemma and other bond supporters will be able to diffuse opposition to a future bond campaign remains to be seen. Steve Klein, a long-time Galt High teacher, said a new school is crucial to the success of students, teachers and the district at large. Klein has worked in the trenches as an art teacher for 26 years. He said he's seen it all -- from overlapping lunches to teachers who have no one classroom and must move all their belongings among as many as five classes. If a new school isn't built soon, Klein is afraid the school will have go into split sessions, teaching one group of students early in the morning and another into the evening hours. Its a thought that will drive newly credentialed teachers away from the high school. It's a price he feels is too high to pay for the sake of personal politics. "We're already bursting at the seams -- it's maddening," Klein said. "All of these things will negatively impact the quality of education here at Galt High." Contact reporter Sara Cardine at sarac@lodinews.com.

Galt High board to poll public on bond for new school campus By Sara Cardine News-Sentinel Staff Writer Wednesday, Apr 13, 2005 - 06:51:36 am PDT Galt Joint Union High School board members will begin a bond campaign to build a second high school by polling public opinion on a possible November-ballot measure. This was the consensus of the board Tuesday night after hearing a presentation by Connell Lindh, a self-employed bond consultant who's been advising the district how to approach the public about building a new school. Lindh recommended a well-written survey be drafted to identify bond supporters and glean what changes could be made to bolster enthusiasm among possible fence-sitters. Time was of the essence, he added. "If you're going to focus on a November election, you should have acted yesterday," Lindh said. Some members of the board said they would prefer not to send out the same survey that voters received during the last bond campaign because, they said, times have changed. Board president Dennis Richardson said he'd like to keep last year's Measure G bond attempt, which failed with less than 45 percent of the vote, distinctly separate from this year's mission in voters minds. In the survey released during last year's bond campaign, 49 percent of a sample of 400 voters said they would vote "definitely yes" to pass the bond, while another 20 percent answered "probably yes." Accurately polling public opinion on a future bond could be crucial to garnering a two-thirds "yes" vote for a $30 million bond on the November ballot. But there are other options, said Galt High Superintendent Thomas Gemma. For example, the district could also wait for a special election next year that would only require a 55 percent majority. The asking price would be restricted by law to only $18 million that when added to state matching funds would net the district $36 million. Projected costs for a fully equipped second high school has been listed at $71 million, though cuts to the plans could be made, officials say. Whatever route the district goes, a survey could help the board get on track with its plans and help garner public trust. Lindh said after his presentation that a well-written survey could take weeks to fine tune, though putting it before the public and getting the numbers back generally takes only a few days. "We're under the gun, but we'd like to look at the facts and figures and get public opinion," Gemma said before recommending the board be ready to consider drafting a survey by its regular meeting in May. Gemma added that he will seek outside funding to cover the costs of a poll, which was tagged during last year's campaign at $13,000. The survey would come at a time when, according to Trustee Pat Maple, the district is closer than its ever been to building a much-needed second high school. Part of that readiness is the school's academic achievement over the past year -- an improvement that could have Galt High off the state's watch list by next year students continue to build on this year's standardized test scores. For more than a year, the school has been tagged by the state as requiring School Assistance and Intervention Team (SAIT), a process under which test scores must consistently improve for a two-year period. Mark Calonico, who heads up Galt High's SAIT team, gave a report at the Tuesday night meeting on the progress that's being made by teachers and administrators in meeting the state's academic targets. Calonico gave the district high marks for core curriculum improvements in language arts instruction, but suggested continued improvements be made in students' Algebra I performance. Interim principal Mari Martinez said the school would like to come off the state-monitored list, but hopes that the improvements made by the SAIT team live on. "There are elements that have been successful," Martinez said. "One way or another, we will keep these elements." Contact reporter Sara Cardine at sarac@lodinews.com.

Galt district unification put on hold at high school level By Sara Cardine News-Sentinel Staff Writer Plans for a study that would look into the unification of Galt's two school districts were postponed Tuesday night when petitioners learned the high school district forgot to put the vote on its meeting agenda. Galt Joint Union High School District Superintendent Thomas Gemma admitted he had forgotten to include the action item when drafting the agenda and apologized to members of the Kids First Committee, who had hoped to begin the process with that night's vote. KFC members were notably disappointed that no action would be taken until the board convened a special meeting next Tuesday, but said they were still confident the study would be approved. "I think they'll support it," KFC member Al Baldwin said. "The children of Galt will benefit from a consolidation and that's the end we all want to achieve." Board member Pat Maple thanked Duffy for getting the effort off the ground and said he supports the idea of unification today as strongly as he did five years ago. He then asked Duffy why she decided to act and listened intently as she listed schedule and curriculum continuity as big bonuses of a K-12 district. She then admitted that many Galt residents have lost faith in the high school's ability to pass a bond for a new high school and may be more likely to support one if both levels were working in unison. "When people see we have the goal of joining the two (districts) and we're all going to work together, we'll have a better chance of passing a bond," Duffy said. Should Galt High board members approve the study, the district would pay $4,000 -- half of the cost to hire a firm that would study the financial aspects of a possible merger. Elementary school board members voted Jan. 27 to approve a board-driven study and pay their half of the fees. Once both board have agreed to look into the feasibility of unification, they will collectively take their case to the Sacramento County Office of Education. The county office conducts its own study, which could cost both districts as much as $50,000. KFC members say the long-term benefits of unification could very well outweigh the initial assessment costs. And the citizens of Galt agreed. The petition, gathered over a two-week period, included over 1,200 signatures from people residing in Galt and the city of Herald. Trustee Ben Cox, Jr. said he resented that the group did not address the superintendent or inform the board as a whole of their intentions to start a petition. Cox also communicated his frustration that two board members met with KFC in January to discuss the process, but did not report back to the rest of the school board with the results of that meeting. "If you don't allow us to have five members make the decisions, you'll never get a bond passed," Cox said. KFC member and City Councilman Tim Raboy said the group is working from the bottom up because board members in the past have said they would not look into unification without a grassroots effort from members of the community. The Galt Joint Union High School Board special meeting to vote on a unification study will be held Feb. 15 at Galt City Hall, 380 Civic Drive. The time has yet to be determined. Contact reporter Sara Cardine at sarac@lodinews.com.

This story is taken from Elk Grove at sacbee.com. Galt picks new schools chief Galt High's principal, Tom Gemma, replaces Christine Hoffman, who stepped down. By Jocelyn Wiener -- Bee Staff Writer Published 2:15 am PST Sunday, November 28, 2004 Just months after he came on board as principal of the Galt Joint Union High School District's only high school, Tom Gemma officially was chosen Tuesday night to be the district's next superintendent. The school board unanimously agreed to support an 18-month contract for Gemma, who has been in school administration for 29 years but has never been a superintendent. Gemma will be paid $120,000 in his new position. Gemma is replacing Christine Hoffman, who surprised many in the district by announcing her resignation this month. Hoffman said she was taking a job in Southern California to be closer to her family. Gemma, 53, said he sees three initial challenges in taking on the new position. First: Get past the state monitoring process by continuing to raise test scores. Second: Try to build a second high school to relieve the extreme overcrowding at Galt High. And third: "Continue to build community support for public education." This last, he said, may be his greatest strength. "I feel I can work with just about anybody," he said. "I feel strongly that two minds are better than one in terms of making decisions and getting a critical mass of people toward a common goal." To do so, Gemma, who lives in Carmichael, said he plans to go out in the community - to church gatherings, sporting events and other meetings. And he plans to listen. "A lot of people may have a different point of view, but as long as they feel they're being listened to, I feel there's a better chance of connecting," he said. Some on the board and in the community are waiting to see how Gemma will rally the support that sometimes has seemed lacking in recent years. "It's just a matter of kind of wait and see," said Pat Maple, the board president. "I think Tom will do fine; I think he'll do a lot. If he's not, I'm sure the public will chew us out. You know, you're damned if you do and damned if you don't." Gary Silva Jr., who completes his tenure on the school board Dec. 7, says he thinks Gemma's contract is "great news." "I think it's a great way to go out," he said. "We've got a man who is hopefully going to be here in the district for years and years to come." Art Oelsner, a parent and frequent board critic, spoke favorably of Gemma's openness during his few months as principal. But he said he was going to "demand accountability from the district." Last weekend, Oelsner took out an advertisement in the Lodi News-Sentinel calling for Maple to resign his position. "You're never going to get the community to come together until the Pat Maple era is over," he said. Maple, for his part, expressed frustration with the advertisement and with Oelsner's steady stream of criticism. At the Dec. 7 meeting, he leaves his position as board president to become a regular trustee. After that, he said, "you're going to see a different Uncle Pat."   About the writer: The Bee's Jocelyn Wiener can be reached at (916) 478-2642 or jwiener@sacbee.com.

Galt superintendent says she's quitting By Jocelyn Wiener -- Bee Staff Writer Published 2:15 am PST Thursday, November 18, 2004 Back to headlines The past few years at the Galt Joint Union High School District have been tumultuous. Test scores declined. The state threatened sanctions. Scores shot back up. Most of the high school's administrators resigned and were replaced. Four school bonds failed. And now, 18 months after she came on board, the superintendent who oversaw its recent changes is leaving - and the recently hired principal of Galt High School will soon take her place. Christine Hoffman announced last week that she is leaving the district at the end of the year to take a job closer to her family, in Southern California. On Tuesday night, the school board voted unanimously to offer her position to Tom Gemma, who joined the district in August from Oak Ridge High School in El Dorado County. Gemma, who has been a school administrator for 29 years but never a superintendent, said he intends to accept. The board will finalize its decision next week and then search for a new high school principal. "I'm very excited," Gemma said Wednesday. "I had anticipated and hoped that I would be the next superintendent. I just wasn't prepared for this as quickly as it happened." Hoffman said she has been commuting nearly 1,000 miles round trip each weekend to be with her 79-year-old mother. Her new job, as superintendent of the Southern Californian Regional Occupation Center, will be within driving distance of her family, she said. "I feel very good about everything that's been accomplished," Hoffman said. "If this district were 500 miles south, we wouldn't be having this conversation." Galt Joint Union, a two-school district, has seen a number of successes in the past few months. A year after a state intervention team began working with the school, Galt High's Academic Performance Index scores jumped 71 points, one of the largest increases for comprehensive high schools statewide. Scores must increase again this year to free the district from state monitoring. With the district's one high school overcrowded, and with the repeated failures to pass a bond to build a new one, Hoffman recently secured $6.4 million in state hardship money to begin planning for a new facility. She also renegotiated her contract last month, receiving a retroactive pay increase and a multiyear extension. Her announcement so soon afterward that she would be leaving has provoked criticism from some and defensive words from others. Art Oelsner, a parent and frequent critic of the school board, wrote an open letter to the community suggesting that trustees should sever "all connections between Ms. Hoffman and the district." Gary Silva, the one board member who voted against Hoffman's new contract, complained that Hoffman did not consult with a majority of the trustees before applying for the hardship funding. He also expressed frustration at her decision to leave. "I think it's ironic timing that the other board members voted to give her a big pay raise and extended her contract and three weeks later she resigns," he said. "My question is how long has she been applying for jobs?" He said he "thinks the world" of Gemma and believes he will help to unify the district. Asked for his opinion of Hoffman's work in Galt, Silva said, "Put a big 'no comment' on it. I mean big time." Other board members came quickly to Hoffman's defense. Pat Maple, the board president, commended Hoffman's work in the district. "I don't pray a lot, but I was hoping she was going to be as good as she was, and she met all my expectations," he said. "I've never had a superintendent this good, never heard of one." Maple said he thought Silva, Oelsner and others in the community were partly to blame for Hoffman's decision to leave. "This is what happens when you try to nitpick someone to death," he said. Hoffman, however, denied her critics had anything to do with her decision. "To say I'm leaving because somebody criticized me, uh, I think I have a little bit too much experience to know that's part of the job," she said. "I've been too successful in my career for me to leave a job like that. "Would there have been a better time for this to happen?" she asked. "Probably, but you know we don't always get to pick the timing for when things come up." She said she was especially proud of the new leadership at the high school. "It's been fast and furious, but it's also been very exciting," Hoffman said.   About the writer: The Bee's Jocelyn Wiener can be reached at (916) 478-2642 or jwiener@sacbee.com.   Trustees hire Galt High School principal as district's new superintendent By Sara Cardine News-Sentinel Staff Writer Last updated: Thursday, Nov 18, 2004 - 08:00:09 am PST At the first of the year, Principal Thomas Gemma will become the new superintendent for the Galt High District. Trustees made the announcement Tuesday night.   Thomas Gemma   The news came only one week after current Superintendent Christine Hoffman resigned from her position to take a job with Los Angeles County. Though the terms under which Hoffman declared she was leaving were questioned by some, board members said Gemma's promotion was a unanimous decision.   "He'll get along great with everybody," said Trustee Gary Silva, who has come up against Hoffman on many issues in the past. One of the last official acts Silva will have before his term expires Dec. 14 is to vote on the terms of Gemma's new contract in closed session at a special meeting Tuesday. District officials had stated in the past that Gemma would make a good superintendent, adding that he had come in a close second to Hoffman when the position was first open in June 2003. Gemma said Wednesday he felt prepared to make the transition. "It was my desire that something like this would happen," he said. Gemma was appointed principal of Galt High in August to replace Larry Tosta who resigned in May. Since then, colleagues have publicly credited Gemma with creating a sense of openness between the school and community. He hopes his experience as a site administrator will help him bring the needs of parents as well as students to light at the district level. He also stressed the importance of mutual respect among board members and the superintendent. "Differing in opinion doesn't mean we have to be paralyzed." Board members will also discuss next week the recruitment process for a new principal for Galt High. Gemma will remain interim principal until his replacement is found, acting concurrently as superintendent. Board members are not sure who will ultimately replace Gemma. Lead administrator Mari Martinez, who served as principal temporarily before Gemma was hired, declined to comment on the possibility of being returned to the position, but congratulated Gemma on his promotion. "It's great for the community to have that continuity and to keep moving forward," Martinez said. "He's somebody that can do that for us." Contact reporter Sara Cardine at sarac@lodinews.com.   Galt High superintendent probably violated contract, trustees say By Sara Cardine News-Sentinel Staff Writer Back to headlines Did Galt High Superintendent Christine Hoffman violate her employment contract by failing to notify trustees she was pursuing another job? Some are asking that question in light of Hoffman's resignation last week to take a job in Southern California. "The contract probably was breached," Trustee Ben Cox Jr. said. "But it's certainly not doing us any good to have somebody who's not happy here." Just a month before resigning, Hoffman and the trustees had signed an extension of her contract. That agreement called for a $10,000 pay boost to $128,000, plus stipends for advanced degrees. The pay increase was retroactive for three months. The agreement required Hoffman to tell the trustees if she was planning to apply for another job. It reads, in part: "Should the superintendent voluntarily seek employment elsewhere ... she shall indicate to the governing board her intention to do so prior to filing a written application." However, Hoffman simply announced to trustees Nov. 5 that she had already signed a contract to be superintendent of the Southern California Regional Occupation Center, trustees said. The trustees accepted Hoffman's resignation in a closed session last week. Hoffman did not respond to calls Monday. Galt High School parent Art Oelsner questioned whether Hoffman had obeyed the terms of her contract. "She knew what she was doing," he said. "How long has she been interviewing for these jobs?" Scot Yarnell, legal counsel for the school district, said it is his understanding that the contract will be terminated under terms of mutual consent 30 days from Hoffman's announcement, unless the board has agreed to a different time period. Yarnell said that, to his knowledge, a board majority voting in favor of mutual consent nullifies any breach of contract on the employee's behalf. Board members said they voted in closed session to accept Hoffman's resignation, though there was some confusion that what they were voting on was, indeed, a declaration of mutual consent. "We didn't vote on that at all," Trustee Gary Silva said. "We just voted to accept her resignation." Silva said the idea of mutual consent sounded to him like a loophole that Hoffman was aware of when she signed the contract. On the other hand, Cox said he did consider his vote to accept the resignation as a declaration of consent, and said that whether or not Hoffman broke her contract was of little consequence to him. Cox said he hopes the search for Hoffman's replacement will begin and end within the district, a sentiment that seems to be echoed among board members who have expressed a desire for Galt High Principal Thomas Gemma to be appointed as superintendent. Silva, who did not vote in favor of extending Hoffman's contract in the first place, said he is anxious to have the position filled when Hoffman leaves after the first of the year, and said he hopes to decide on a replacement before his term expires Dec. 14. "I don't want an unhappy person here," Silva said. "The faster she leaves, the better." Contact reporter Sara Cardine at sarac@lodinews.com.

Galt school superintendent resigns Back to headlines By Sara Cardine News-Sentinel Staff Writer Last updated: Wednesday, Nov 10, 2004 - 08:00:41 am PST Superintendent Christine Hoffman announced her resignation from the Galt Joint Union High School District at a crowded board meeting Tuesday at Galt City Hall. Not one of the 70 people in attendance at the district meeting made a public comment on her departure. "It's been a pleasure to serve such a dedicated and committed board of trustees," Hoffman said to the audience, some of which were sitting cross-legged on the floor and spilling out of both doors of the Galt City Hall room. She then cited the combined effort of students, staff members and members of the community as the reason for the district's success during her 17 months in Galt. Hoffman did not comment after the meeting on the details of her leaving, saying she was tired and going home, but added that she could be reached in her office today. Board president Pat Maple said the board will meet in closed session at the district office Tuesday to discuss possible options for filling the position, which should be vacant around the first of the year. They will then report their decision to the public after the closed session. Though no official plan of action has been determined, some district officials have come out in favor of promoting new Galt High principal Thomas Gemma, who was appointed in August, to district superintendent. "You don't want to fill a void and make a void, but he's an obvious choice," said Maple, adding that Gemma had originally applied for the position of superintendent in 2003 and was second in line to Hoffman.   Gary Silva Despite a promise to publicly speak out against Hoffman for deciding to leave only one month after her three-year contract was extended, Trustee Gary Silva had little to say during his board member comment. Silva was the only board member who voted against renewing Hoffman's contract. He attributed the vote to his perplexity at the superintendent's request to extend a contract that still had more than a year left. Instead, Silva said Tuesday he will use more discretion in determining the contract terms of the next superintendent. "It will be one of my last decisions and I'll make sure it's the right one," Silva said. Silva's term on the board will end in early December when the newly elected Norman Pearson is sworn in as a trustee. In her first comments since being re-elected Nov. 2, Trustee Sue Roberts requested the superintendent investigate the district's membership with the Galt Chamber of Commerce, which she said donated $2,000 to Businesses for Good Government, a political action committee that endorsed Roberts' opponents, Pearson and Tom Santillan. "How can we belong to an organization that sits and endorses candidates for school board?" Roberts asked during a break in the meeting. "We're in kind of a difficult position (because) we're paying dues to that organization." Silva, who is a member of BUGG and personally endorsed its candidates, agreed that the school district being a member of an organization that promotes certain candidates for that district did appear to be a conflict of interest. In other matters, the board listened to a progress report by Renee Regacho-Anaclerio, a School Assistance Intervention Team leader employed by the Sacramento County Office of Education. She commended the district for improvements made during its first year of being a "program monitored" school and outlined improvement programs being put into use. The board also listened to a budget update made by Chief Business Officer Darlene Waddle and recognized the contributions and special achievements of district officials, staff members and students. Mari Martinez, lead administrator, received a certificate of appreciation for her role in seeing the district to a 70-point improvement in its Academic Performance Index. Martinez acted as interim principal for Galt High from January to August. Leo Van Warmerdam, a Galt High graduate who is currently co-chairman of a district steering committee overseeing plans for a new high school, was also recognized for his service to the district. Brandon Artherton was presented with a diploma by Estrellita Continuation High School Principal Tony Lara, while Maple presented Silva a plaque for his four years of service on the school board. Contact reporter Sara Cardine at sarac@lodinews.com.   Election revives talk of merging Galt school districts Back to headlines By Sara Cardine News-Sentinel Staff Writer Last updated: Monday, Nov 08, 2004 - 07:52:54 am PST Candidates who were running for seats on the Galt school boards recently dusted off the issue of district consolidation -- a topic that has chewed on for years, but never digested. Erv Hatzenbuhler, who won a second term on the Galt Elementary school board, said in a candidates forum that a merger would be one of his top priorities if elected. Fellow board member and election winners Susan Richardson, and Sue Roberts, who serves on the Galt High board, both agreed a merger in the near future should at least be considered.   Jeff Jennings Jeff Jennings, Galt Joint Union Elementary School District superintendent, said a consolidation of the Galt elementary and high school districts is inevitable. But a lot of work needs to be done to determine if the districts would both benefit from a merger, he said. "In the long term, it would be a good step," Jennings said. "It would make for a much stronger organization as the community continued to grow." Galt High Trustee Dennis Richardson said he agrees with his wife Susan's hope for a consolidation of Galt High and Galt Elementary districts, while allowing feeder school districts like New Hope and Oak View Union to remain autonomous. "It would have to be a grass-roots commitment by the community," Dennis Richardson said. "Boards can't do it on their own." Dennis Richardson Roberts suggests that the two school boards look into having someone from the Sacramento County Office of Education run a cost-benefit analysis on a possible merger, though she said she would rather constituents seek an inspection rather than having the school board approve the fee of a review, estimated to be about $50,000, without community consent. To request a review, the county office requires that a governing board sign a petition to begin the process or that 25 percent of district voters in the inhabited area sign a petition. Roberts said the board is currently focusing more on community consensus in its efforts to plan, build and pay for a second comprehensive high school to relieve district overcrowding, and looks at that as its highest priority. Opinions on a district consolidation varied among parents picking up their children from Galt High last Monday afternoon. Craig Herscowitz, whose daughter Jillian is a sophomore at the school, said he would support the districts' looking into the process if it meant saving money in the future. "I'd be all for that," Herscowitz said of the review process. "If you look at the history of the elementary school district, they have handled growth better than the high school district." Mary Ellen Harrell, a Herald resident, thinks that the money for a review would be better spent on making improvements to the high school. Harrell is the parent of a freshman daughter and a senior son, and said one consolidated board would be spread too thin between the combined number of students. "And $50,000 is pretty precious," she said. But to board members looking ahead at the possible savings of having only one administration, a consolidation is worth pursuing. Galt High Board president Pat Maple supports the idea and said he brought the issue to the board's attention years ago. "It makes perfect sense to me," Maple said. "There are some financial savings. You're more of a unified system." Maple stressed curriculum would be more uniform and no jobs would be lost because of attrition, where extemporaneous employees would continue to work in their positions, but would not be replaced when they left. Even those who support the idea admit that the process of consolidation would be a lengthy one. After the board or the public requests a cost-benefit analysis, the county office has 20 days to verify the signatures on a petition and 60 days to hold a public hearing for the communities affected by a consolidation. The county Board of Education then looks at the impacts of a consolidation and makes its recommendation within 120 days of the hearing. From there, the county office must submit the petition, impact report and its recommendation to the state for approval. Larry Shirey, a consultant for the California Department of Education, said county officers submit to the state their recommendations for districts wishing to unify or split up. About four cases make it to the state level each year, though the number whose requests are granted is fewer still. Contact reporter Sara Cardine at sarac@lodinews.com. 11-8-04 Back to headlines   Galt High School superintendent plans to resign Back to headlines By Sara Cardine News-Sentinel Staff Writer Galt High School Superintendent Christine Hoffman plans to leave the district around the first of the year. Christine Hoffman Hoffman, who was hired in June 2003, signed a contract Friday with a San Diego area school district, board President Pat Maple said. Her Galt contract went into effect July 1, 2003. Maple said Friday Hoffman called him and confirmed she had taken another job. She also planned to call other members of the Board of Trustees on Friday, he said. None of the board members contacted knew which district Hoffman will be going to. Hoffman was out of the office Friday. When asked Thursday to respond to rumors that she was planning to resign, she simply replied, "No comment" and refused to elaborate on the issue. Board members will take up Hoffman's resignation in closed session at Tuesday's regular board meeting before publicly announcing their next step when the board comes back into public session. The news comes only one month after four of five board members voted to renew Hoffman's contract and give her a salary adjustment retroactive to July 1, when her first contract had officially expired. The increase in salary was approximately $10,000 annually, Trustee Dennis Richardson said. "It's a sad thing," Maple said of the superintendent's resignation. "But I'm not angry at her, I'm angry at the situation. I don't think the community treated her right." Maple said members of the community and of the board too often criticized Hoffman for doing her job, adding that the critics knew nothing about the business of running a district. Maple then specifically referred to Trustee Gary Silva, the sole vote against Hoffman's contract renewal, as a possible reason for her decision to leave. "No, I'm not responsible," Silva responded angrily to Maple's charge. "She left because people are asking questions about her agenda and why she was doing things without other board members' knowledge." Silva also said Hoffman could be held to a breach of contract, since a term of the agreement states the superintendent must inform all board members before seeking employment elsewhere. "Why, if she was so unhappy, did she want a contract to stay here longer and get more money?" Silva asked. In a telephone interview with the News-Sentinel on Thursday, Hoffman gave no indication that she was dissatisfied with the district or her job. "I'm very happy with my position on the Galt Joint Union High School District and I'm very happy with the progress we're making," Hoffman said. Neither board members nor staff at the district office were able to produce a copy of the contract renewal and its terms Friday. Some board members said they are not interested in holding Hoffman to her extended contract by forcing her to stay or rescinding her recent pay raise. "I'm not going to fight it one way or the other," Trustee Ben Cox Jr. said. "Just give her a party and let her go." Cox said he thought Hoffman had only planned to stay two or three years and had accomplished a lot in her short time with the district. As of Dec. 1, Hoffman will have been with the district for 17 months. But Silva, who has expressed frustration in the past with what he says is Hoffman and Maple collaborating independently of the rest of the board, said he's not ready to let the issue drop so easily. "Tuesday will be a very, very interesting meeting," Silva said of what will be one of his last appearances as a board member before his term expires. "I'm going to go out with a bang, that's for sure." The board meets at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Galt City Hall, 380 Civic Dr. Contact reporter Sara Cardine at sarac@lodinews.com. 11-6-04 Back to headlines   Galt High School hardship grant draws skepticism Back to headlines By Sara Cardine News-Sentinel Staff Writer 9-15-04 GALT -- Talk of a $6.4 million state hardship grant erupted into heated debate about public confidence in the Galt High School board at a meeting of the Galt Joint Union High School District on Tuesday evening. Superintendent Christine Hoffman applied for the grant on Aug. 25, which would pay for the planning costs associated with the construction of a new comprehensive school as well as a new continuation school on a proposed 52-acre site off Marengo Ranch Road. "This is a celebration for the Galt Joint Union High School District," Hoffman addressed the crowd in her presentation. "Hardship funding is not the total solution, but it is the first step in our moving forward on two projects that everyone here understands are critical." In order for districts to apply for hardship funding, they have to meet several requirements, including the leveling of developer fees. Galt High currently has $770,000 collected from developer fees which will be deducted from the $6.4 million, according to Hoffman. Districts qualifying for this state money must also have a pattern of unsuccessful bond attempts, to establish that prior efforts to raise funds have been made in the past. In Galt High's application to the State Allocation Board, the superintendent cited four failed attempts to pass a bond in the past six years in addition to district overcrowding and what Hoffman called a "tired" Galt High campus. The application process was laid out as an option in the district's Master Plan, approved by trustees in October. Trustees Gary Silva and Ben Cox Jr., however, said they did not know the district had actually applied until articles on the subject were published in a local newspaper. Though their concerns were addressed by Trustee Dennis Richardson, who said he put his confidence in Hoffman's pursuing agreed-upon goals, Cox said that the board risks the public's trust when board members cannot efficiently communicate with one another. "It's your job to somehow let other board members know what you're doing," Cox said to board President Pat Maple, who was present at the State Allocation Board meeting with Hoffman in August. "You're breeding mistrust in our community and when you breed mistrust, how are you going to pass another bond?" This sentiment was echoed by Galt resident Art Oelsner, an outspoken opponent of March's failed Measure G obligation bond, who approached the podium in a public comment session. "I want a new high school as much as anybody else in the room tonight," Oelsner said, "But the (board needs) a document to develop trust and prove that this is, in fact free money." After the $6.4 million has been spent on planning costs, the district can apply for more state funding to begin construction on the school sites, though trustees all said they hope the board members and the community can see eye to eye on a 2006 bond. Oelsner and soon-to-be Galt parent Brent Steele said that they see the need for new schools and are willing to support another bond, so long as the board can promise that's where the money will go. Both then described their vision of the perfect bond. "$24 million with two-thirds of the vote and 50/50 matching funds from the state for a comprehensive high school," Oelsner said. "And nothing else." "It would pass in a heart beat," Steele added. "We personally could get 200 people who would go door to door for that." In other matters, the district recognized improvements in recently released standardized test results as well as it's Academic Performance Index of 701, 71 points up from 2003. The board commended its students, faculty and administration for seeing Galt High School through its first year as a "state monitored" school. Darlene Waddle, assistant superintendent of operations, presented the district's 2003-04 financial status, adding that in its operation, Galt High and Estrellita Continuation School are both functioning with little long-term debt. Contact reporter Sara Cardine at sarac@lodinews.com.

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Galt bond measure sparks Acampo resident to become community activist Back to headlines Monday July 19, 2004 By Ross Farrow News-Sentinel Staff Writer Art Oelsner says he never intended to be a community activist, but became one last fall due to his growing dissatisfaction over Measure G, the $16 million Galt High bond measure that was defeated in the March 2 election. As the major opponent of the measure to build a second comprehensive high school, Oelsner maintains he fully intended to support the measure when it was presented to him last year. Oelsner heard the plans for the new high school that would be built primarily with Measure G and state funds at a private meeting of school district officials last year. He said he thought that district officials made a good presentation, but there was one thing missing that night -- a copy of the ballot statement. "I wanted to read the bond before I would campaign for it," he said. After discovering the next day that the bond measure wasn't available at the Galt Joint Union High School District office, Oelsner said he went to Sacramento County Voter Registrations and Elections and spent $4 for a copy of the proposal. "When I read the bond, I got angrier and angrier," Oelsner said. He claims it read completely differently from what he heard about at the fall meeting of bond supporters. For example, he said, the measure was unclear enough to suggest that Measure G money might be used for an all-weather track, new bleachers and other improvements at the existing Galt High football stadium. Generally speaking, Oelsner said he wants spending focused on classrooms rather than improvements to the football stadium, offices or other non-academic projects. Art Oelsner A short time later, district Superintendent Christine Hoffman and school board members told the community that the bond measure, written quickly because of a deadline imposed by the county, didn't state exactly what they planned to do. Contrary to what the bond measure said, district officials said they no longer planned to use the $16 million bond money and matching state funds for improvements to the existing Galt High campus, nor did they plan to use bond or state money to move Estrellita Continuation High School, the district office and Adult Education offices to a 28-acre site in Acampo. But the bond measure said otherwise, so Oelsner led a campaign against Measure G through private meetings, political signs and a newly created Web site. "The bond is a written contract with the voters of this district," Oelsner said. Oelsner said he intended to keep his opposition low key, but other opponents began phoning him after he saw "No on Measure G" signs on the fence at his Acampo home. "I didn't want to form a committee," he said. "I was a one-man opposition." Measure G was not only defeated, but it was beaten soundly, getting only 43.3 percent support. A 55 percent majority was needed for passage. Oelsner's opposition incurred the wrath of some at the school district, especially board President Pat Maple, who dismissed Oelsner's arguments as "lies" from someone who wants to destroy the school district. When Oelsner established a Web site, www.galtsnewhighschool.com, Maple came up with his own, www.ghs-now.com. When Oelsner's supporters wore "Classrooms First" T-shirts with his Web address, Maple gave out his own T-shirts with his Web address. "It's been very conflictual, very contentious and quite personal to a large degree," said Barbara Smith, chairwoman of the Galt District Chamber of Commerce. The conflict among board members and with Oelsner led trustee Dennis Richardson to call for, in essence, a cease-fire and more professional conduct by the board. Smith, who along with the chamber has made an effort not to take sides -- other than acknowledge the need for a new high school -- said that Oelsner's concerns are real and must be addressed before a successful bond measure is ever passed. "It seems to me he's really galvanized a constituency," Smith said. "It's important for the board to listen to what his concerns are." The school board decided on May 19 to forego a school bond this year to allow more time to discuss the issue. At the same time, trustees led by Maple decided to take a kinder, gentler approach toward the community. For the first time, Oelsner had what he considered a long, productive, informative meeting with Hoffman in May. In fact, Oelsner said he respects Hoffman's decision-making skills and will work this year to get the school board to exhibit similar leadership skills. While Hoffman said she was pleased to hear that Oelsner enjoyed his meeting with her, she said that meeting with the constituency is something she's done since she became superintendent a year ago. "I've always been available to meet with people," Hoffman said. "A big part of my job is to work with our different stakeholder groups. Mr. Oelsner is a parent, a business person in the community, a community activist." New to the political scene Oelsner's involvement in the school political scene didn't begin until October, after the school board put Measure G on the March 2 ballot. Until then, his life was focused more on basketball. Basketball is still a major part of his life, with his daughter, Samantha, 16, a star on the Galt High girls basketball team. He also established the Galt Lady Hoops Basketball Club, a private program affiliated with the Amateur Athletic Union that keeps players focused during the off-season. It has about 50 participants. The program, which includes girls as young as fourth grade, uses the Galt High gym, but Oelsner is required to apply for use of the gym and provide the organization's own proof of insurance. "You ask me why I am engaged at Galt High -- it's those girls," Oelsner said. Born in Carson City, Nev., Oelsner grew up in Reno and lived in Elk Grove for 10 to 12 years until 1997 when he bought a house in Acampo. Oelsner frequently drove from his Elk Grove home to Lodi Airport in Acampo to fly his plane -- "I'm an airport rat," he said -- so the owner, Joanne Kupka, told him about a house for sale on Woodson Road near the airport. "I saw it on Sunday and bought it on Monday," Oelsner said. He has sold restaurant equipment for a Sacramento firm called Cresco since 1979. He also manages the company's Web site. What's next? Since Galt High trustees decided on May 19 to forego a school bond on the November ballot, Oelsner said his next step will be to seek good school board candidates for the November election. The terms of Sue Roberts and Gary Silva Jr., expire in November. "I will run an awareness campaign that will center on 'Classrooms first, classrooms now,' " Oelsner said. He said he will also seek the same decision-making skills from the board that Hoffman shows. "We are going to demand leadership from this board, or we are going to 'get' leadership on this board," Oelsner said. Depending on how the Galt High election turns out, Oelsner said he will either pursue a citizens' petition to put a school bond on the ballot for a special election in 2005 or seek a recall of other board members. In addition to Roberts and Silva, the board consists of Maple, Dennis Richardson and Ben Cox Jr. Contact reporter Ross Farrow at rossf@lodinews.com. 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Crowded Galt High now braces for more

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By Jocelyn Wiener -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Sunday, May 30, 2004

Orvell Fletcher is 88 years old and understands almost everything about high school - except how to convince his community to buy a new one.

Fifty years have gone by since Fletcher first assumed the superintendency of the Galt Joint Union High School District. His plan then: bring the 600 seemingly naive students at the district's main high school "into the world."

These days, Fletcher recalls that old Galt High School with nostalgia. He regards the current one with concern: Overcrowded classrooms. Broken toilets. Worn-out teachers.

He knows the city desperately needs a second high school.

He doubts it will get one any time soon.

Since 1998, voters in the Galt district have knocked down four high school bond proposals. Now, with a projected increase of more than 300 students in the next five years - and little probability of funding a second high school during that time - the school faces the imminent possibility of either instituting a year-round schedule or creating a split day that would have some students starting class around noon and leaving as late as 6 p.m.

Overcrowding generates other problems. Since November, the school has been under state sanctions for falling test scores. Teachers and administrators are leaving. District officials put much of the blame on the facilities.

Business leaders, meanwhile, are concerned the district's troubled reputation may drive away new residents and hurt economic growth.

None of those concerns, however, kept the school board from deciding recently not to pursue a fifth bond vote this November. The reason: It seems nearly impossible to pass.

Fletcher arrived at the May 19 board meeting dressed in jacket and tie, his gray hair neatly combed, hearing aids on, expression solemn. Long retired as superintendent, he spoke as a concerned resident.

"I think no one here would challenge the needs," he told the trustees. "I'm not going to dwell on that. ... We need to have seen a group of citizens in this district who will say, 'Not only will we help you, we'll take the leadership.' There is no such group. I do not see, regretfully, the opportunity for a positive vote.

"At this moment," he concluded, "I would say, 'Forget about it.' "

And so, at least for now, they have.

Less than a mile away at Galt High School, the implications of the public's refusal to pass a bond are everywhere.

At 12:13 p.m. a bell rings and students pour into the hallways. They hurry from classes, clutching binders, bumping into one another. Long lines form outside deteriorating bathrooms and in the cafeteria.

More than 2,000 students occupy a campus designed for 900. Two or three students share each locker. Jostling in the halls increasingly leads to fights.

"People bump into you and step on your shoes and a lot of people care about their shoes and they get mad and that's how problems start," said Juan Vidauri, a senior.

Because of a classroom shortage, some teachers relocate each period. Others oversee physical education classes that include between 50 and 60 students.

"It's very frustrating for the teachers," said Brian Deis, chair of the social studies department. "I know we've lost staff members because of these kinds of issues."

Until voters start feeling the pain themselves, Fletcher doubts they will shoulder their share of the cost. He expects that only the implementation of a year-round or two-shift school day, with its transportation and scheduling headaches, will push the public to a yes vote.

"I think within the next two years, the people themselves are going to come forward by the hundreds and be fed up with overcrowding and feeling their boys and girls are being cheated and say, 'Let's get the bond on the ballot,' " Fletcher said.

He thought again of the May 19 meeting.

"But you saw all those empty seats."

Education experts say three factors prevent school district voters from passing bonds: A bad economy, a conservative electorate and negative public perception of the school district. Galt has faced all of these, and more.

Although the city's population has doubled since 1990, its general fund revenue lags, and state financial troubles have left a sizable dent in its budget. Skeptical residents already have seen their utility rates rise significantly this year - and may be asked to vote on increasing the city's sales tax in November. One citizens group, expressing frustration with the school board, mounted a public campaign against the $16 million bond proposal that voters rejected in March.

"I feel there've been so many demands on their pocketbooks they're simply tired of it and aren't going to say yes to anything," Fletcher said. "Unfortunately, schools are always in last place."

Still, there is some good news. The number of sophomores passing the math portion of the high school exit exam jumped 25 percent this year. Christine Hoffman, the current district superintendent, predicts other test scores also will rise. But she has no doubt that the deteriorating campus is hurting scores and morale.

"I feel very strongly that facilities absolutely play a part in test scores," she said. "Do kids feel good about coming to school? Are the facilities adequate? Are they well-maintained? Are they conducive to learning?"

David Duncan, Galt High's senior class president, said the school's teachers are "awesome." But looking around at the broken lockers, dirty walkways and crowded halls frustrates him.

"It just causes problems because you can't really learn," he said. "If you have 40 people in an English class, the teacher can't really focus. You just feel better when you're in a nice place, you know?"

The problem, according to Deis, is a classic "chicken or the egg scenario." If the community points to poor test scores in deciding not to fund a second school, how can the district pay for facilities necessary to improve testing conditions?

To Fletcher, Galt 50 years ago in some ways mirrors Galt today. Back then, he started a reduced-cost breakfast (5 cents for an orange, a sandwich, a hot chocolate or a cup of milk) to accommodate the 62 percent of students who weren't eating in the morning. Hoffman, too, has worked to increase the number of students covered by free and reduced-price meal programs.

Fletcher believes the community's abundant criticism is unfair. During his tenure, traveling the district's 170 square miles to drink "gallons of coffee" at neighborhood gatherings helped win him the public's trust.

Today, he perceives less involvement from the nearly 14,000 voters in the district - but more anger.

"There wasn't a tenth of the criticism in those days," Fletcher said. "We were allowed to do our job."

During the 23 years that Fletcher worked for the district, the student body swelled to about 1,200. To accommodate that growth, the voters passed four bonds allowing the school to add an auditorium, a library, an administration building and dozens of new classrooms.

"My tactic was, if they didn't pass the first time, we upped the amount," he laughed. "That would make them yell, but we said, 'Until you pass this, it's going to go up each year.' "

Eventually, every bond passed.

A damaged locker is one mark of deteriorating facilities at Galt High. Two or three students are now sharing each available locker. Sacramento Bee/Randy Pench       Source: Bee research Sacramento Bee         Orvell Fletcher, 88, is a former superintendent of the Galt Joint Union High School District. During his tenure, voters approved several bond measures, but he sees little public inclination to do that now. He backed the district's decision not to try again. Sacramento Bee/Jay Mather       Sacramento Bee

About the Writer
---------------------------

The Bee's Jocelyn Wiener can be reached at (916) 478-2642 or jwiener@sacbee.com.

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Sunday, May 23, 2004

Galt puts bond on back burner

School district may try again in 2005

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By Neil Gonzales

Record Staff Writer

GALT -- The bitter defeat of the $16 million bond proposal Measure G in March has convinced Galt Joint Union High School District trustees not to try for another bond in the November elections.

Instead, trustees say they are considering setting up a task force to delve into bond issues more before taking a proposal back to the voters, perhaps as early as mid-2005.

During a meeting last week, school board President Pat Maple sought support to put a bond measure on the November ballot but got no encouragement from fellow trustees.

"No one said anything, so it's a dead issue," Maple said. "We'll drop back and punt."

District Superintendent Christine Hoffman couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

For now, Maple said, the board plans to study further how much the next bond should be, what it should cover and how to convey that information to the public.

The district should be able to manage student growth in the next year but ultimately needs to pass a bond to tackle long-standing overcrowding at Galt High and Estrellita Continuation High School, trustees say.

Without a bond, the district may have to adopt some sort of year-round schedule, Maple said.

Or Galt High could turn to double sessions, in which students attend either of two shifts -- one starting early in the morning and another later in the afternoon, he said.

Such a switch could happen starting in the 2005-06 school year, Maple said.

Galt High serves about 2,100 students and could see 350 more children in the next five years, according to the district.

The board could also launch a public-relations effort to counter community distrust of the board, they said.

Improving trust will help the district pass the next bond, said Galt resident Art Oelsner, who ran a campaign opposing Measure G. "They won't have a bond until they have the people's confidence and trust in the school board."

Maple believes that lack of trust is more a perception than reality but acknowledges that he and his fellow trustees still have to confront that issue.

Oelsner agrees the district needs a new comprehensive high school but opposed Measure G largely because he believed it would not have provided enough funds for construction.

Now he plans to launch his own public-awareness campaign about the need for a new school, its cost and where it should be built, Oelsner said.

His campaign would involve advertisements, mailings and other activities and could cost several thousand dollars, he said.

For his campaign, he gave Hoffman credit for helping him go over school-construction financing issues, Oelsner said, adding, "She's genuinely interested in getting a school built."

Oelsner also pushed the district to send a bond measure to voters as soon as possible.

"The population growth ... is not an emergency now," he said, "but it will be in a few years."

With Measure G, district leaders relied on a state Proposition 39 provision that allows a bond to pass with a 55 percent voter-approval mark instead of the usual two-thirds threshold. The provision, however, limits how much a district can tax its property owners yearly.

Measure G still fell short by 10 percentage points.

Galt Joint Union would have used the bond along with state-matching money to build a school near Marengo and Twin Cities roads. The cost of building a new campus was estimated at about $35 million.

The district has now failed to pass four bond measures since 1998.

* To reach reporter Neil Gonzales, phone (209) 367-7428 or e-mail ngonzale@recordnet.com

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Galt rejects school bond vote

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By Jocelyn Wiener
Published 2:15 am PDT Friday, May 21, 2004

Citing a lack of public support and a number of new taxes and fees, board members let the proposal die and said they hoped to work with the public to create a passable bond measure.

Galt High School, originally designed to accommodate 900 students, now has about 2,000. Officials estimate it will grow by another 500 in the next five years.

A $16 million bond measure on the March ballot was aimed at building a second high school, but it was defeated, the fourth time in six years Galt voters have turned down a school bond measure.

The next election during which a bond measure could be proposed is in 2006, although the school board could call for a special election beforehand at significantly greater cost.

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Debate is still boiling in Galt

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The district has yet to decide whether to ask voters once again for money for a high school.

By Jocelyn Wiener -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Sunday, May 2, 2004

This story is taken from Elk Grove at sacbee.com.

At the center of the controversy lies a high school that doesn't exist.

But by the end of a long and often-heated session of the Galt Joint Union High School District school board Tuesday night, the multimillion-dollar question of how to pay for that much-needed second high school remained unanswered.

Several demanded the district place a $24 million bond on the November ballot, despite the fact that passing such a measure would require the support of two-thirds of the voters.

Others supported a $16 million bond, which would require the support of 55 percent of the voters.

And still others questioned later whether any bond had a chance of passing in a community that has rejected four such measures in the past six years.

The district is shouldering some heavy issues. In November, the state intervened at Galt High School after test scores fell for two consecutive years. If scores continue to drop, the school may be taken over by the state.

Originally built for 900 students, Galt High School now houses about 2,000. Officials estimate it may grow by another 500 students in the next five years.

"We can hold our children hostage for another 10 years, or we can get started," said Carol Borges, whose son is a sophomore at Galt High School. "Let's get to the real purpose of school, and that's educating children."

On Tuesday, standing in the middle of a room reeking slightly of past sporting events, Ann Nock, a senior vice president of the bond election department of George K. Baum & Co., which is consulting with the district, offered an analysis of likely outcomes of a bond measure.

Given voting history and likely turnout for a November election, less than 50 percent of the district's voters were likely to support the bond, she said. But she said this analysis was based on the old bond proposal and may differ for a new one.

The Galt district is in line for state funding, she said, but only if a bond passes.

"If the school district raises $16 million, they will get $16 million from the state," she explained later. "If they don't approve a bond, that $16 million will go to other school districts."

Those who voiced support for a $24 million bond were almost entirely allied with Art Oelsner, who led the charge to defeat the district's last bond measure in March.

"The bond election was a referendum on a poorly written bond, not on a new high school," Oelsner told the board, referring to his seeming change of position on the matter.

Those siding with him said a $24 million bond, supplemented with state funding, is necessary to fully fund a new high school. They also raised issues of trust.

"This board needs to do what they're going to say and say what they're going to do," said Lisa Steele of Herald, whose children are in second, fourth and seventh grades.

Kathleen Amos of Galt disagreed.

"As far as trust is concerned, I've lived in this community 19 years, and I've voted 'yes' every time," she said. "Trust, trust, trust, I think that's a cop-out."

Later, board President Pat Maple voiced frustration at the comments.

"If you don't trust the board, why don't you articulate to the board the things that you don't trust?" he said.

Christine Hoffman, the district's superintendent, said board members had several issues to consider before making a decision on the bond, including several proposed local tax increases.

"This school district has always been in a politically volatile community," she said Thursday. "That's hurt this district, and it's hurt this community."

Hoffman said the board will hold another public meeting in the next few weeks to discuss whether to support a bond and if so, what amount.

Among those who spoke Tuesday were those who called for an end to the factionalization.

"All of us want a high school," said Fernando Gonzalez, who graduated from Galt High School in 1993.

"I don't have kids, but I'm here to support a new high school," he said. "Let's stop arguing. Let's move on."

Galt activist pushing for high school

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By Sandy Louey -- Sacramento Bee Staff Writer - (Published April 25, 2004)

This story is taken from Elk Grove at sacbee.com.

Art Oelsner led an effort to defeat Measure G, a $16 million bond to build a second high school in the Galt Joint Union High School District. He contended that the proposal was badly written and wouldn't raise enough money to build a school.

Now, the Galt High School parent has started another seemingly different campaign. The goal: promoting a second high school campus and putting another bond proposal on the November ballot.

On Tuesday, district trustees will discuss whether they should put another bond before voters in the fall. The March 2 bond fell short of the 55 percent threshold required for approval, the fourth time in six years a ballot measure to fund a new high school has failed.

The meeting starts at 6 p.m. at the Chabolla Center, 660 Chabolla Ave., Galt.

The consensus of those who attended a community forum last month was that the district should seek a $24 million bond in November, with the money dedicated for a new high school and classroom renovations at Galt High.

The second high school would be built on 52 acres of district-owned land near Marengo Road and Twin Cities Road. The district wants to build a continuation high school complex at Woodson and Calimyrna roads in Acampo.

Oelsner spoke last week about his efforts.

Q: How has your stance on the issue changed?

A: My stance hasn't changed. It's exactly the same as the No on G campaign. The vote on March 2 was a referendum on a poorly written bond, not on the construction of a new high school.

Q: Why are you starting a new campaign?

A: The district has yet to make their intentions clear as to whether they intend to pursue another bond measure and build a new high school in Galt.

The No on G campaign was on building a high school first and offices last. The goal of this new campaign is to hold the district accountable.

There are several unanswered questions left over from the last election. Primarily, the district had found mystery money to build on the (Acampo) property. We want to know where the money is and where it came from. We'd like to know when the meetings were to develop the five-year plan.

The district during the campaign indicated they had approval to build on the (Acampo) property. We would like to know who did the investigation there and where are the documents to prove they can build on the property

I'm still trying to carry the torch of building a new high school in Galt.

Q: What does your campaign want?

A: We want a $24 million to $30 million, two-thirds majority vote bond. We want all money to go toward building a new high school. We want offices and the continuation school built on the pre-approved, 52-acre high school site. We demand the district follow the strategic plan that they voted to adopt that calls for a high school and continuation high school to be built on the high school site.

Q: What do you think it will take to get voters to support a two-thirds bond when a 55 percent bond failed?

A: It's going to take a bond with enough funds to build a high school. Clear and concise wording and accurate accountability of all money to be spent. The last thing would be a massive increase in the amount of trust and confidence in the school board.

Q: What do you think it will take to increase trust in the school board?

A: The board has to take some action to show the public that they're going to move forward with some action that coincides with the public's wishes. There was a community forum held March 24 that spelled out for them what the concerned citizens of our community want.

Q: What should people interested in seeing a new high school in Galt be doing now?

A: If people are interested in supporting a new high school, I'm sponsoring a Web site called www.galtsnewhighschool.com. I would love people to visit it.

Going to school board meetings and making your opinions known to school board members is a great way of creating awareness as to what the community wants. If we're going to get a new high school built, it's going to take tremendous community support

The Bee's Sandy Louey can be reached at (916) 478-2654 or slouey@sacbee.com.

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Galt school board faces long odds

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By Michael Kolber -- Sacramento Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Monday, April 19, 2004

This story is taken from Elk Grove at sacbee.com.

That's the situation the Galt high school district finds itself in after four times failing to win approval of a school construction bond, most recently in March. It may seek a fifth bond measure in November.

Earlier this month, Galt's city manager recommended voters be asked to approve a 1-percentage-point sales tax increase, also on the November ballot. Few expect the city's conservative voters to approve two tax increases at once.

Then last week, a school district trustee accused the superintendent and trustees of violating the state's public-meetings law. Trustees who dispute the allegation worry it will reignite distrust of the school board - one of the reasons voters in March said they voted against the bond.

"Any time one single board member does something like this, it reflects badly on all of us," trustee Dennis Richardson said. "We're trying to move forward and get things done."

The stakes for the Galt Joint Union High School District are significant.

In November, the state sent an intervention team to Galt High School because its test scores had fallen for two consecutive years. If the school's scores continue to drop, it could be taken over by the state.

The district says passing a bond would allow it to build a second comprehensive high school, relieving crowding at Galt High and improving its academic performance. Galt High, originally built for 900 students, now seats about 2,000. Officials anticipate it will grow by another 500 students over the next five years.

This month, students are taking more standardized tests.

"I have absolute confidence in the students and the teachers at Galt High School that those scores will go up," Superintendent Christine Hoffman said.

The failed March measure was for a $16 million bond. District trustees haven't decided if they will ask voters to approve a bond in November, and if so, how big it will be. They are planning an April 27 meeting to discuss the matter.

Trustee Gary Silva Jr. said the future of the bond was what he and other trustees were discussing March 9 during a closed session that he said violated state open-meetings law.

Silva said the trustees spent 90 minutes talking about the ballot measure that had failed just a week earlier.

The discussion was improper, Silva said, because it was not listed on the meeting's agenda and was not the sort of item that could be discussed in closed session. State law permits only certain subjects in closed session, such as litigation, personnel issues and real estate negotiations.

At Tuesday's board meeting, Silva announced that he had sent a letter to the school district's attorney asking him to investigate the issue. Silva distributed the letter to other trustees, but he would not publicly release it because he said it contained information discussed in closed session.

"I thought we talked about stuff in the closed-session meeting that should have been open," he said.

Silva apologized to the public Tuesday for participating in the session.

The district's attorney said through an assistant that he was not authorized to discuss the letter. Hoffman said she had not seen the letter.

Richardson said he did not believe he had done anything wrong - and that Silva himself began the discussion about the bond.

"I think you have to question a person's motives," Richardson said. "You have a board meeting, and a month later he decides that we were doing something wrong."

School board President Pat Maple couldn't be reached for comment, but in an interview with the Lodi News-Sentinel, he called Silva a "weasel."

Comments like that hurt the board's standing in the community, Silva said. "That doesn't build any trust," he said.

Whether a public-meetings-act violation occurred is difficult to assess. Kent Pollock, executive director of the California First Amendment Coalition, said Maple had spoken with him and said the discussion about the bond was in the context of an evaluation of the superintendent's performance.

"Then it would be perfectly appropriate - that would be my guess," Pollock said. "We're usually on the other side of it."

Pollock said because no action was taken during the closed session, there would essentially be no penalty even if it could be proven the session was improper.

Trustee Sue Roberts, the only other person to attend the March closed session, declined to discuss it.

In 2000, a similar dispute broke out among many of the same people. Then, Maple accused three other trustees of violating the state's open-meetings law by dining at a Denny's and discussing school board business. They said the dinner was purely social.

Even if voters ignore the current tussle, a greater impediment to a bond measure could be the 1 percent sales tax hike that City Manager Ted Anderson has proposed.

The City Council is planning a May forum to discuss a sales tax hike and has not decided whether to put one on the ballot. City Council members say they expect any proposed hike to be less than the one Anderson proposed - perhaps only an additional quarter-or half-percent.

Anderson said a full percentage point increase would be necessary to make up revenue the city is losing in state budget negotiations and to increase the city's police staffing.

While Galt's population has more than doubled since 1990, only one and a half police positions have been added. Nearly every City Council meeting brings more calls from residents to increase patrols.

The city's sales tax rate is 7.75 percent. An increase to 8.75 percent would place it in a tie with the most expensive in the state.

Richardson said he thought asking voters to approve multiple tax increases could again doom the school bond.

That's what he believes happened in March, when the city was raising its utility rates and voters approved Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's deficit bonds.

"Here you had a ballot that was full of bond measures. How do you think that's going to affect people?" Richardson asked.

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Galt High to hold community forum on school bond

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4-14-04

By Ross Farrow
Lodi News-Sentinel Staff Writer

Galt High School district officials will host a community forum April 27 to discuss the possibility of a second bond measure to build a second high school.

Board President Pat Maple announced the district-sponsored forum at Tuesday's board meeting, minutes after Galt Mayor Darryl Clare gave a report to the school board on a Galt Chamber of Commerce-sponsored forum held March 24.

"There is marvelous support in the community for a new high school," Clare told trustees.

The support Clare cited comes despite a ringing defeat of Measure G, a $16 million bond measure, on March 2 that was opposed by 56.7 percent of the voters.

While the 70 participants at the forum supported a new high school at Marengo and Twin Cities roads, a majority of participants said a November ballot measure must be more clearly written, should be for $24 million instead of the $16 million on the March 2 ballot and clearly state how the money would be spent.

Forum participants also said the district must overcome the lack of community trust that has plagued the district for many years.

"It is not my intent to insert myself in your policy making," Clare told the school board.

Trustees deferred any questions or comment on Clare's report until the April 27 forum, which will begin at 6 p.m. at a location yet to be determined.

However, Maple commented on brief comments from individuals at the March forum who said they might pursue a recall of board members.

"I'm not afraid of a recall," Maple said, his face filled with emotion. "It's no fun, and it serves no purpose. It's going to do nothing to help these students."

A recall threat sometimes consists of a small number of people with their own agenda, Maple said.

One of the topics to be discussed at the April 27 forum is a possible 1 percent sales tax increase being considered by the Galt City Council. The council will decide in May or June whether to place the sales tax proposal on the November ballot. The proposal would increase the sales tax in Galt to 8.75 percent.

Maple said after Tuesday's meeting he hopes the City Council decides quickly against placing the sales tax measure before voters in November.

"I don't think it's going to help us at all," Maple said of having a competing tax on the ballot.

Maple said he will oppose a November school bond measure if a city sales tax is on the ballot.

In other action Tuesday, Trustee Gary Silva accused three other board members of violating the Ralph M. Brown Act, California's open-meeting law, by illegally discussing the school bond in closed session March 9.

During a break in the meeting, Silva said that he, Maple, Sue Roberts and Dennis Richardson discussed the results of the March 2 bond election, the possibility of placing a new bond measure on the November ballot and how to finance the building Estrellita Continuation High School, new district offices and adult education classrooms on 28 acres in Acampo.

Silva said all three topics should have been discussed before the public. The Brown Act was also violated, he said, because none of those topics was posted on the closed-session agenda.

The Brown Act restricts the topics that can be discussed behind closed doors. Permitted closed-session topics are litigation, evaluation of specific employees, real estate purchases or sales, and employee salary negotiations.

Silva apologized to the standing-room-only crowd in the Galt City Council chambers for his role in violating the Brown Act. During a break, Silva said trustee Ben Cox did not violate the Brown Act because he left the meeting before the closed session began.

Silva said that, on the advice of his attorney, he sent the letter detailing his allegations that the board violated the Brown Act on Tuesday morning to Scot Yarnell, the school district's attorney, with copies sent to the other four trustees and district Superintendent Christine Hoffman. The letter asks Yarnell to investigate the allegations.

"He's a weasel," Maple said of Silva. "I don't know what he's talking about."

If Silva was concerned about Brown Act violations, he should have said so during the closed session March 9 and left the meeting, Maple said.

Silva replied after Tuesday's meeting that it didn't occur to him until late in the two-and-a-half hour closed session that the board violated the Brown Act.

"That's why I apologized to the public for it because I was part of it," Silva said.

Meanwhile, Galt resident Al Baldwin, who regularly attends Galt City Council meetings but never previously attended Galt High meetings, was optimistic about a successful school bond in November.

"I wish there was this kind of enthusiasm six months ago," Cox said. "Things are changing. Times are changing. Galt's changing. You're going to get a high school."

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Push for Galt high school persists

Residents suggest asking voters for $24 million.

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By Sandy Louey -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 a.m. PST Sunday, March 28, 2004 in the Sacramento Bee

This story is taken from Elk Grove at sacbee.com.

The Galt high school district should ask voters in November to approve a $24 million bond measure, with the money to be used only for a new campus and for renovation of classrooms at Galt High School.

The bond language should be clear and simple, and two-thirds of the voters would have to say yes for the bond to pass.

That was the consensus of more than 80 residents who turned out Wednesday for a three-hour forum at the Chabolla Center to talk about what it would take for voters to support a bond measure for a new high school.

Businesses United for Good Government, the political action committee of the Galt District Chamber of Commerce, organized the forum after trustees for the Galt Joint Union High School District couldn't decide what to do next.

"Time is of the essence," Terry Parker, chairwoman of the committee, said Thursday. "Every election that goes by puts us back."

A $16 million bond measure on the March 2 ballot fell far short of the 55 percent threshold needed for approval, the fourth time in six years that voters in Sacramento and San Joaquin counties shot down a school bond.

The district says it needs to build a second high school to relieve overcrowding at Galt High School, which has about 2,000 students and is expected to grow by another 500 over the next five years.

The findings from the forum will be presented to the school board at its April 13 meeting.

"We need the community to feel like the board is listening to them," Parker said.

Obtaining a two-thirds majority is difficult, attendees acknowledged, but the threshold is required to pass a bond as large as $24 million. They said they wanted to be sure there would be enough money to build a high school.

"If we go for it, let's go for it big time," said Lisa Steele, who has children in the Galt Joint Union Elementary School District.

Those who attended Wednesday's meeting were split into 10 groups. Each group answered a series of questions, such as why the bond failed and what needs to happen for a new bond to pass.

The overall consensus was that the March 2 bond measure was poorly written and there was confusion over how the money was to be spent. Many attendees also said they had little faith in the school board.

Some at the meeting proposed recalling some board members, but Galt Mayor Darryl Clare, the forum's moderator, said such an effort would scuttle any chances of passing the school bond.

"It would take more effort to do a recall than to pass a bond," he said. "It would cloud the issue."

Clare said Superintendent Christine Hoffman and the entire school board supported last week's forum but were asked not to attend so people would feel freer to offer their views.

The majority of attendees also felt that setting aside 10 percent of the bond money to upgrade classrooms at Galt High School would help win support from residents living in the western part of the district. The new school would be in the eastern part of the district. Providing money to fix Galt High, attendees said, would help address any east-west division.

Other suggestions that will be passed to trustees include having a detailed cost of the high school project, naming the new high school and having the board appoint a bond oversight committee that represents all groups in the community, including representatives from all the feeder elementary school districts, Parker said.

About the Writer
---------------------------

The Bee's Sandy Louey can be reached at (916) 478-2654 or slouey@sacbee.com.

Residents voice opinions on Galt High bond making it on ballot

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(Published March 25, 2004)

By Ross Farrow
News-Sentinel Staff Writer

For a future Galt High school bond to be successful, the bond must be much better written than the March 2 ballot measure that lost badly at the polls.

The school board must also become more trustworthy in the eyes of the community.

That was the consensus of some 70 people who participated in a forum Wednesday night to discuss what it would take for the community to support a bond measure for a second high school in Galt.

Residents attending the forum were split into 10 circular tables, where they discussed why the March 2 election failed, if a new high school is needed and what it would take to make a subsequent bond campaign successful.

Participants -- typically six per table -- reached remarkably similar conclusions. Among them:

• Measure G, the $16 million bond that received only 43 percent support, was poorly written. It was unclear exactly how the money would be spent.

• The ballot measure was poorly promoted. Some suggested that the district hire a professional public relations firm if a new bond is put on the November ballot.

• Rather than shoot for a $16 million bond in an election that would require a 55 percent majority, the district should shoot for a $24 million bond, which would require a much stricter 66.7 percent majority.

A majority of participants questioned whether a $16 million bond with another $16 million in matching state funds would be enough to build the new high school.

Galt Mayor Darryl Clare, who moderated the forum, explained that $16 million is the maximum bonding capacity for an election requiring a 55 percent majority, while $24 million is the school district's maximum bonding capacity for a ballot measure requiring a two-thirds vote.

The November general election ballot is the final opportunity for two years -- until the 2006 primary -- for Galt High to place a bond requiring only a 55 percent majority, Clare said. A special election after November would require a two-thirds vote, he said.

• All bond money should finance the new high school, not administrative offices or moving Estrellita Continuation High School. A few suggested using 10 percent of the bond for renovations to the present Galt High campus to gain support among voters who live west of Highway 99.

• There is a serious lack of public confidence in the Galt High School board and administration. A couple of people even suggested a campaign to recall trustees.

"The board needs to listen to the community. They work for us," said Teresa Vuinovic, a Fairsite Elementary School teacher who has a fifth- and seventh-grader attending Galt schools.

It will be impossible to get a bond passed without a greater community trust of the school board, said parent Mark Engebretsen of Galt.

"You have to get over some huge hurdles that are deep seated," Engebretsen said.

A few participants also urged the school district to get firm cost estimates, perhaps seeking construction bids before the bond election.

Danielle Lund, who has a child in eighth grade at Arcohe School in Herald, said the school district should reach out to Latino voters who can't speak English and gain their support for a bond.

Galt resident Al Baldwin said more members of the community should begin attend Galt High board meetings, which are held at 6:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month at the Galt High library, 145 N. Lincoln Way.

The forum was sponsored by Businesses United for Good Government, the political action committee for the Galt District Chamber of Commerce.

After a few opening remarks, Clare had participants select random numbers, a move designed to put spouses and friends at different tables.

Galt High trustees and administrators were noticeably absent from the forum, but Clare explained that after talking individually to each of the five trustees and Superintendent Christine Hoffman, they agreed to avoid the forum in order to make participants more comfortable about speaking their mind.

Clare will report to the school board on the forum's outcome at the April 13 Galt High board meeting.

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Galt chamber to sponsor school bond forum

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(Published March 17, 2004)

By Ross Farrow
News-Sentinel Staff Writer

While the Galt Joint Union High School District decides whether to pursue another bond measure in November to build a second high school, the Galt District Chamber of Commerce is taking matters into its own hands.

Businesses United for Good Government, the chamber's political action committee, will host a public forum on what it would take to pass a school bond from 7 to 10 p.m. March 24 at Chabolla Community Center, 630 Chabolla Ave.

"We want to be a mediary," said Realtor Terry Parker, who chairs BUGG. "We want to get everybody behind it. We're trying to keep politics out of it."

Voters defeated Measure G, a $16 million bond measure to help finance a new high school at Marengo and Twin Cities roads, in the March 2 primary election.

Last week, Art Oelsner, Measure G's chief opponent, told the Galt High board that he would support a bond on the November ballot if it is written properly.

Oelsner told trustees at last week's board meeting that he would like a community task force -- with no sitting board members or school district administrators -- to craft its own bond and present it to the board for its consideration.

Unlike Oelsner, the chamber wants school officials involved at the forum, said Carol Backert, a chamber board member. However, BUGG did not consult the school district about next week's forum.

Galt High board President Pat Maple didn't welcome the news that the chamber committee had scheduled its own public forum about a school bond.

"I don't know what they're doing; they didn't ask us," Maple said. "It's just one more thing to screw up the process."

The chamber's involvement seems like an attempt to take control of school affairs, Maple said.

"Now they're just bypassing the school board," Maple said of BUGG. "Are you going to go by mob rule? I'm not. I was elected for a reason."

School district Superintendent Christine Hoffman said she doesn't oppose the chamber conducting a forum because the board welcomes as much input as possible.

Hoffman said it is important that a broad base of the community attends the forum rather than a small group. She also welcomes the news that Galt Mayor Darryl Clare has agreed to moderate the forum.

"It is great that the mayor and chamber are helping us gather information," Hoffman said. "With Darryl, he will ensure we get a broad-based community representation at the meeting."

School officials are welcome to attend the forum, Backert said. The chamber committee will report on the outcome of the forum at the April 13 board meeting.

Hoffman said she would prefer that school district trustees and administrators stay clear of the community forum -- but for positive reasons, not to boycott the forum.

School officials staying away from the forum is more likely to encourage the public to speak its mind.

Clare said he told Backert he wants all sides heard.

"I told her if I was going to moderate, I want it to be open so all ideas can be heard," Clare said. "My focus is consensus for a bond the community is willing to approve."

Maple said he would prefer a small group from each of Galt High's four feeder elementary districts and a small community group rather than have an unwieldy community forum.

Maple said he thinks the chamber group was involved in Oelsner's efforts to defeat Measure G, and he questions the chamber's desire to pass a November bond, even if chamber officials say they would support one.

"This is a typical Howard Jarvis attack on a school bond," Maple said, citing a Jarvis Web site that advises communities on how to defeat bond measures requiring only a 55 percent majority. "Either you're for it or against it."

Oelsner retorted, "Pat Maple will not address the issue. It's about them writing a crappy bond.

"Somebody should tell Pat Maple that the election is over," Oelsner said. "The election lost by a huge margin (56.7 percent). No means no."

Relations have become so personal that Maple accuses Oelsner of opposing Measure G because Oelsner was allegedly fired from a position as an assistant girls basketball coach and will get back at the school district in any way he can.

"I was never fired as assistant coach at the high school," Oelsner said.

Oelsner, who sounded in a phone interview as if he was in tears, said he stopped coaching two years ago because his best friend, head freshman girls coach, Steve Battaglia, was diagnosed with kidney cancer.

"I am going to his funeral (this) morning, and Maple knows that," Oelsner said, his voice shaking. "What kind of a human being is he? He will make personal attack after personal attack after personal attack."

Hoffman said she cannot talk about personnel issues, but she said that as someone who is not a Galt High teacher, Oelsner's position had to be opened first to on-campus teachers before considering applicants who aren't employed by the district.

Maple said in more colorful language, "I'm willing to debate (Oelsner) anywhere anytime."

Hoffman said bad-mouthing others doesn't do the school district any good.

BUGG took an informal survey of voters to find out why they voted against Measure G. In a prepared statement, Backert said that bond opponents didn't oppose a bond to build a new high school. Rather, they were troubled that the bond language wasn't consistent with public statements by Hoffman and school board members, Backert said.

The ballot statement said that part of the bond proceeds would be used toward moving Estrellita Continuation High School, adult education and the district office to a 28-acre site off Collier Road in western Acampo.

However, bond proponents said during the campaign that all $16 million would be used toward the new comprehensive high school and that none of it would be used on the Acampo site.

"The last (bond) would have passed if it was written a little better," Parker said.

Responding to Backert's and Parker's comments, Maple said, "Now they're experts. What's next? Are they going to come back and tell us to hire the principal back?"

Maple was referring to Larry Tosta, Galt High's principal the past four-and-a-half years, who was placed in charge of researching computer technology needs at the Sacramento County Office of Education office.

Although Tosta still retains the title of principal, he was ordered to turn in his office keys in January. He has sued the school district in an attempt to keep his job.

Last week, Tosta was issued a formal notice that he may be reassigned July 1.

This story is taken from Elk Grove at sacbee.com.

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District regroups following bond loss

Galt officials ponder the next step in the quest for a high school after Measure G fails.

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By Sandy Louey -- Bee Staff Writer - (Published March 14, 2004)

This story is taken from Elk Grove at sacbee.com.

Galt Joint Union High School District officials are mulling over their next step in light of a failed bond measure to build a second high school.

Voters in the district rejected Measure G, a $16 million bond that would have been used for a new campus to provide relief at Galt High School. Galt High, which has 2,000 students, is projected to add another 500 students in the next five years.

The March 2 defeat was the fourth time in the past six years that the district was unable to get a bond passed.

At Tuesday's board meeting, trustees reached no decision about the timing or the mechanism that would be used to get community input about what the district should do next and what it would take to get a bond passed.

Trustee Gary Silva Jr. had suggested a special meeting in two weeks with a town hall format to hear residents' thoughts.

Silva said it was important to start the process if the district is considering placing a bond on the November ballot.

"I don't want to wait until the end," he said.

School board President Pat Maple said he wanted to wait until precinct breakdowns are available before the board discusses the format to use in soliciting community input.

Maple said Thursday that trustees will talk about the process at the April 13 board meeting.

He said he would prefer a focus group format where selected representatives from throughout the community would meet with an independent facilitator.

Representatives would include bond opponents, the feeder elementary school districts, city officials and bond supporters, he said.

Superintendent Christine Hoffman said it is similar to the process that the city of Galt is using to gather community comment on revising its general plan.

Whatever the direction, Hoffman said, the district doesn't want to rush into anything.

"It's too important a decision," she said.

More than 70 people turned out for last week's meeting.

During the public comment period, Art Oelsner, a Galt High parent who led the effort to defeat Measure G, suggested that an independent community group craft the plan and the language for a November bond attempt.

"The time is right to move ahead with a new plan for a second high school," Oelsner said.

Oelsner wants the district to seek a larger bond amount and include specific language about how the money will be used. He also wants the district to shed the plan to build a new continuation high school complex at a district-owned site in Acampo.

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Galt High may have group review bond options

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March 11, 2004

By Ross Farrow
News-Sentinel Staff Writer

It is doubtful that Galt High will have a community forum about why the Measure G bond election failed last week and whether the board should try for a November bond election.

At least not anytime soon.

Trustee Gary Silva requested at Tuesday's Galt High board meeting that a special board meeting be held in two weeks, but district Superintendent Christine Hoffman and Board President Pat Maple of the Galt Joint Union High School District say it doesn't appear such a meeting is in the offing.

A large crowd attended Tuesday's Galt High board meeting hoping to hear the board discuss what its next action should be to alleviate overcrowded conditions at Galt High School.

Superintendent Christine Hoffman said Wednesday that, instead of having a community forum, she will explore establishing a so-called "focus group" patterned after what the city of Galt is doing to solicit input on its new general plan.

A focus group is a hand-picked cross section of people throughout the community that will meet through an independent facilitator.

"I need to give it a little more thought," Hoffman said.

Art Oelsner, who led the effort against last week's Measure G election, said at Tuesday's board meeting he would just as strongly support a new bond measure if it is written properly.

Oelsner recommended that an independent community group -- without any sitting board members or administrators -- craft a new bond for the November ballot and then submit to the school board.

Trustees didn't comment on Oelsner's recommendation at Tuesday's meeting, but Maple said Wednesday an independent community group will never happen.

"That's what a board is for," Maple said. "You can't have mob rule."

Maple said a discussion on whether to pursue a November bond election won't take place until at least April 13 because he wants detailed information on last week's Measure G election.

Before discussing whether to attempt a new bond measure in November, Maple said the board needs to find out how different precincts voted on Measure G, whether bond supporters failed to show up to the polls on election day and to poll community members on why they think the bond failed.

Measure G, a $16 million bond to build a new high school at Marengo and Twin Cities roads, was overwhelmingly defeated last week. Newly released figures this week had 4,092 voters (56.7 percent) opposing the bond. Only 3,123 voters (43.3 percent), supported the bond.

Oelsner also advised the board Tuesday that a new bond should be for at least $30 million, include bond language that specifies how the money would be spent and that the district abandon plans to move Estrellita Continuation High School, district offices and adult education classrooms to a 28-acre site in Acampo.

Estrellita, the district office and adult education buildings could be constructed on the 52-acre site where the new high school would be built, Oelsner said.

Hoffman said Wednesday she will not commit at this time to recommending a November bond election for the district. She wants to wait for more detailed information on the election.

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"A message was sent to the Galt Joint Union High School District Board of Trustees last night, which is the title of one of the famous smash hits from the 1960's British rock band, the Beatles:  "Come together."

Mike Bush, Galt Herald 3-10-04

Galt bond opponent wants November bond

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March 10, 2004

By Ross Farrow
Lodi News-Sentinel Staff Writer

A special board meeting or a more informal public forum may be held this month by the Galt Joint Union High School District on what steps the district should take in light of the district's failure to pass the Measure G bond last week.

Trustee Gary Silva asked the board Tuesday to conduct a special meeting in two weeks to hear suggestions from the public on whether the district should attempt another bond election in November to build a new high school at Marengo and Twin Cities roads.

Trustees couldn't decide when to hold a special meeting, nor could they agree on whether it should be a full board meeting or a community forum where only two of the five board members attend so there won't be a quorum.

The discussion took place at Tuesday's board meeting after the bond's major opponent, Art Oelsner urged the board to aggressively pursue a bond election for the November ballot.

However, Oelsner said the bond should be for at least $30 million, include bond language that specifies how the money would be spent and that the district abandon plans to move Estrellita Continuation High School, district offices and adult education classrooms to a 28-acre site in Acampo.

Estrellita, the district office and adult education buildings could be constructed on the 52-acre site where the new high school would be built, Oelsner said.

Oelsner also recommended that a citizens committee -- without any sitting board member or district administrator -- craft a new bond measure and present it to the board for its consideration for the November ballot.

Trustees didn't comment on the bond during the meeting, and board President Pat Maple refused to allow reporters to ask questions of trustees or Superintendent Christine Hoffman before going into a lengthy closed session shortly after 9:30 p.m.

"The olive branch is there," Oelsner said outside the meeting room. "Egos have to be pushed aside."

Orvell Fletcher, Galt High's district superintendent for 23 years until his retirement in 1977, said outside the board meeting that the district has no choice but to pursue moving Estrellita and the district office to the district-owned Acampo site so that additional portable classrooms for Galt High can be added at the present Estrellita site on Camellia Way.

Fletcher, who listened to the discussion but didn't address the board, said he also opposes Oelsner's suggestion that a committee not involving the school district craft a new bond.

"He's saying, in effect, 'We'll take over as the board,'" Fletcher said. "The board has no reason to trust (Oelsner) or his offers."

Galt Mayor Darryl Clare, one of five residents who signed the Measure G ballot argument, said he advocated in 1999 that Galt's high school and elementary school district's consider consolidating to pool their resources. However, he said he understands the distraction the idea would cause at this time.

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Suggestions for new bond to be presented

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From Lodi News Sentinel: March 9,  2004

Art Oelsner, the main opponent of Measure G, the $16 million bond measure which failed in last week's primary election will present new ideas for a new bond measure to Galt Union High School District trustees tonight.

Oelsner said he held a private meeting that attracted some 40 people Friday night. The group came up with some recommendations that will be presented tonight, Oelsner said. They include:

• Crafting a new bond package by a citizens group that would not include any sitting board member or administrator. The bond would be for $24 million to $30 million, which would require a two thirds vote of the electorate.
• Abandoning plans to move Estrellita Continuation High School, adult education and district offices to Acampo.
• Conducting an independent investigation about the legal terms governing the uses of the 28-acre Acampo site, which was deeded to the school district by the late John Sousa in 1991.
• An independent investigation on wetlands and aircraft issues at the Souza site.

Oelsner has established a new web site on his ideas, www.galtsnewhighschool.com Today's school board meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Galt High library, 145 N. Lincoln Way.

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Galt regroups after another bond failure

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From Stockton Record  March 7,  2004

By Neil Gonzales

Record Staff Writer

GALT -- Galt Joint Union High School District could go for another bond measure in November or face switching its students to a year-round instructional calendar. The most recent try at a bond failed to pass last week.

"Whether we put another bond on the November ballot, I'm sure we will talk about that," Trustee Sue Roberts said.

Galt Joint Union trustees Tuesday are expected to study what the district's next steps should be following last week's failure of Measure G, a $16 million proposal to build a new comprehensive high school.

Galt resident Art Oelsner, who led the campaign against Measure G, has urged the district to pursue a $30 million bond that would require a two-thirds supermajority vote in November.

Oelsner agrees that the district needs a new campus but opposed Measure G largely because he believed it would not have provided enough funds for construction, he said.

"I'm not happy the school bond failed," he said, "but I'm satisfied that the message I tried to get out got to people."

With Measure G, district leaders relied on a state Proposition 39 provision that allows a bond to pass with a 55 percent voter-approval mark instead of the usual two-thirds threshold. The provision, however, limits how much a district can tax its property owners yearly.

Measure G still fell short by 10 percentage points.

Galt Joint Union would have used the bond along with state-matching money to build a school near Marengo and Twin Cities roads. The cost of building a new campus was estimated at about $35 million.

The district has failed to pass four bond measures since 1998.

The latest blow puts Galt High closer to adopting a schedule that spreads blocks of instruction throughout the year to help address student overcrowding, trustees said.

Or the school could turn to double sessions in which students attend two shifts -- one starting early in the morning and another later in the afternoon, trustees said.

The district is a year off from such possibilities if it doesn't find another way to tackle enrollment growth -- namely with a bond, Roberts said.

Galt High currently serves about 2,100 students and could see 350 more children in the next five years, she said.

With or without a bond, she said, the district still plans to move Estrellita Continuation High School out of portable buildings near Galt High to a permanent structure at Woodson and Calimyrna roads in Acampo.

The new Estrellita complex would cost about $5 million, paid from funding sources other than bond money, such as developer fees and low-interest federal loans, district officials said.

This project would have room for adult education and be the new administrative home of the district, which now has offices at Galt High.

The move would free up space at the existing Estrellita property for overflow students from Galt High, officials said.

But Oelsner doesn't believe the district can build on the Acampo location, because of safety-related restrictions on school construction within airport zones, he said.

The site is near Lodi Airport.

Oelsner also wanted the district to review environmental issues further in that area, he said.

District officials are working with the state Department of Education on such concerns and getting the required approvals, Superintendent Christine Hoffman said.

"We are very aware of the procedures ... of building a school," Hoffman said. "The district is in the process of going through those procedures."

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