Monrovia School Link

Monrovia School Link ~ Number 190 ~ March 10, 2007

Well folks, this is it. Last Monrovia School Link, at least for the foreseeable future. Also, a parting shot about the Monrovia Library vote. (By the way, if someone really wants to express a different view about the library vote, I'll send those comments out as one post-final issue.) I'll talk a bit about those things below, but first, here's what's coming up at this Wednesday's School Board meeting.
~brad@sacklunch.net

During the study session at 5 p.m. the board will discuss the status of the Monrovia High School facilities.

At the regular meeting at 7:30 p.m., the board will honor the Monrovia High School student delegation that participated in the California YMCA Youth and Government program in Sacramento, and will vote for two candidates seeking election to two seats on the California School Boards Association.

Also, here's a list of upcoming open houses:

Canyon Oaks High School / Mountain Park School - Tuesday, March 27, 2007, 6:30 p.m.
Canyon Early Learning Center - Tues., March 27, 2007, 6:00 p.m., (Picnic @ 5:00 p.m.)
Clifton Middle School - Wednesday, April 4, 2007, 7:00 p.m.
Santa Fe Middle School - Wednesday, April 4, 2007, 6:00 p.m.
Bradoaks Elementary School - Tuesday, May 22, 2007, 6:30 p.m.
Wild Rose Elementary School - Thursday, May 24, 2007, 6:30 p.m.

ADIOS ~ I originally started this newsletter because I believed there was something wrong with the Monrovia School District and I figured the thing to do was to go to the board meetings and write up what I saw. After a number of meetings I began to feel that I was right, that there really was something wrong, and I started to say so fairly loudly - occasionally rudely (I apologize for those times) - and for quite a long time. I felt the board members needed to be more active in exercising leadership and that too much was being decided in study sessions hidden off from view in a back office, and that even though those meetings were open to the public, the venue was entirely too uninviting and intimidating for residents to attend.

Those were a couple of my complaints - though there were plenty of others. But since then we've had two elections and some awesome people have joined the board. I think Clare Chesley and Bryan Wong brought about an absolute turnaround on the board, and all for the best. (Either one of them would be great for some higher office.) Later Ed Gililland joined the board along with Chris Rich and Clarence Shaw. The only one of these individuals that I didn't endorse at one time or another was Shaw, but I've got to say that I really like Clarence. He is a gentleman. Even though I didn't endorse him he always greets me like a long-lost friend. Super nice guy.

Anyway, my point is that I believe the board - and the district as a whole - has made some really great progress. I'm impressed. But that is one reason I don't feel this newsletter is as necessary as it once was.

Also, as some members of the community have pointed out, over the years the quality of this newsletter has been uneven. One reason for that has been because I don't have the time to devote to it. I'm busy at work; I'm a partner in a little publication called The Orange Cat (www.theorangecat.org), which lists events to take your kids to in the San Gabriel Valley (it's free if you'd like to sign up); I'm on the board of a little nonprofit; plus, there are some other activities that take up my time, including - somewhat to my own surprise and certainly to my wife's - taking an oil painting class. I guess I just wanted to try something radically different. Anyway, I think what really brought home to me my busyness was that the last board meeting fell on the day when my daughter and I go out for our daddy-daughter date. I had forgotten about our date and at the last minute I had to choose between the board meeting or our date. The date won.

Further, Maritza Diaz, who was doing much of the writing for the newsletter, has a new schedule at school and is no longer able to write the newsletter. She had taken a big part of the task off my shoulders (thanks Maritza), and I found it difficult to replace her.

Having said all this, let me express a little dream. I really have felt for some time that the city could use a good, independent, online news source, not antagonistic to the city government, but not controlled by it either. Maybe not the kind of opinion journal that I have written here, but more or less what local newspapers used to be years ago, where a reporter would actually go to school board and city council and planning commission meetings and write up what happens there, and publicize local events, and do feature stories about local people, and provide a forum for people to express their opinions and generally be kind of a glue that helps bind the community together. I realize the economics of the newspaper business probably don't allow that anymore, but I think maybe the economics of the Internet would allow it (The Orange Cat, for instance, is kinda sorta profitable, though I look forward to the day when I work for it at more than minimum wage.) So, if anybody would be interested in that, I'd be happy to chat. I'm not sure - because of my schedule - that I'd be able to participate more fully, but I'd be willing to chat.

So, from now on, you can keep in touch with what is going on at the district through the Web site. The agenda is always on line there. Here's the district's web site: http://www.monroviaschools.net/

THE LIBRARY ~ I'm glad the library measure passed, though I still think libraries are primarily for books and I wish that we'd get more than 30 percent more books when we're getting 100 percent more library. But still, despite my doubts, I voted for it. But I've got to say that when I got in that voting booth - and even though I had already decided to vote for the measure - I came within a whisker of voting "NO WAY!" Here's why:

While I'm all in favor of people expressing their opinions (I've been doing it here for years) I strongly feel that that when you step into the polling place you should stop getting opinions. The only thing you should get is what's written on the ballot, and that should be as objective a description of the issue as is humanly possible.

But what I saw when I stepped up to the polling booth was a disgrace! It was an advertisement in favor of the library. It said the current library is "small and outdated" (a pure judgement call) and it made no mention of the cost, either the total cost for the new library or the cost to individual taxpayers. The whole thing was worded to encourage a favorable vote, and I think that was utterly unfair.

But here. You can judge for yourself. Here is the description in its entirety:

"Shall an ordinance be adopted to rebuild the small and outdated Monrovia Public Library at its current site according to new earthquake, fire safety, energy efficiency and handicapped accessibility standards, with expanded children's reading areas, upgraded computer technology, new study rooms for students and quiet reading areas, by imposing a special parcel tax with expenditures subject to annual independent audits and no expenditures for administrator's [sic] salaries?"

Okay, I'm done ranting. Maybe again someday. Bye for now. Best wishes and God bless.

Also on the Web at www.monroviaschoollink.com