Main street

Last week was a tough week for employees of local public
agencies. The City of Healdsburg laid off some of its most
essential and well-liked employees – virtually all the admin staff.
New positions are being created, but the eventual outcome is going
to be fewer folks to answer phones, handle paperwork and greet the
public with a smile.
Some of this change is inevitable. Everyone in government has a
cell phone and email, and most department heads are doing what we
folks in the private sector have been doing for years – typing our
own letters, answering our own email, making our own calls.
The cuts in city government are difficult, and loyal, effective
people will be out of work, but last week, it felt like the looming
cuts at the Healdsburg Unified School District were deeper, more
devastating. At the school board meeting last week, Jeff Harding,
the Superintendent, told the school board: “This district has been
cutting for 12 years, and I can’t find $2.4 million that isn’t
essential. I can’t find a dollar that isn’t essential!”
It’s difficult to imagine our relatively small school district
facing $2.4 million in cuts, but that’s the worst-case scenario
they reviewed last week. Cuts in counseling staff, teacher layoffs,
administrator layoffs … they even peered at a scenario that could
eliminate adult education programs, which would make it that much
harder for some of the most vulnerable students to succeed.
The school board meeting was, at times, a gruesome spectacle,
with shell-shocked board members looking at what might happen if
the state does cut as deeply as is feared, and teachers coming up
to decry further cuts to already hampered programs.
Finally it was Nikkie Sayre, a Healdsburg High student and the
appointed Student Trustee to the school board, who interrupted the
proceedings to ask why. Nikkie spoke up against the severity of the
cuts, saying that it wasn’t right, that it isn’t possible, that it
would hurt the district deeply.
The veteran trustees and administrators gave Nikkie that “you
don’t understand” look, and tried to explain that this is how the
world works, Sacramento cuts and we obey. Harrumph! I thought
Nikkie Sayre was the only person in the room who was making any
sense.
If we’re going to have the educational system we want in this
community, we have to take back local control of education funding.
If that means we approve a parcel tax, or we set up a massive
endowment, or both – so be it. You say we can’t afford another
parcel tax or fund-raising drive? What about the cost of saddling
our children with whatever educational system is satisfactory to
Sacramento? Our community can’t afford that.
Two weeks ago, I challenged Main Street readers to come up with
the words behind a new acronym, NOTSOSMART, in recognition of the
“train to nowhere” that is currently accumulating $2 million a
month in sales tax and spending freely on consultants.
The entries in our “Define NOTSOSMART” contest were funny and
charming. Shay House from Cloverdale was first with: “Nitwit
Officials Taxing Sonoma Outrageously Selling Marin A Riderless
Train.” Taya Levine of Healdsburg shrugged off the limits of my
acronym and invented her own: itSMARinTocloverdaleStupid!” Marian
Murphy of Healdsburg took a clever pro-SMART position with:
“Nonbelievers Obedient To Social Obsolescence Save Money Assailing
Rail Transportation.”
The winner is Shay House, who captured the spirit of emptiness
that SMART embodies, and she’ll get a six-month extension on her
newspaper subscription.
Recently a black Scottish Terrier named Sadie was chosen as
“Best of Show” at the Westminster Dog Show. It turns out that Sadie
is related to Angus, a black Scottie owned and loved by Rich and
Liz Pembroke. According to Liz, Sadie’s granddad was CH Baldownie
Bulletin, who was also Angus’ dad. Angus passed away a while back,
and the irrepressible Oliver has taken his place in the Pembroke
household, but Angus still has a place in their hearts.
Back to the issues around funding cuts and crises – this is no
time to hunker down and wait for the storm to pass. We don’t do
that in Healdsburg, we never have. When times get tough, we get
busy. Wonderful things can happen in this community when we shake
off our old habits and think creatively.
For example, this year our community will open a new vocational
education program at Healdsburg High. In the next couple of years
(or even sooner) our community will renovate the historic
grandstands at Recreation Park, build a new animal shelter,
renovate the Raven Theater, and approve a plan to redevelop the
area of town south of the Plaza.
We’re going to do wonderful things we don’t even know about yet,
and the uncertain economy is going to give us inspiration, not slow
us down. We have to have a little faith in each other, and we have
to think about the legacy we all leave to our community.
Ray Holley is thankful for the rain and the abundance it brings.
He can be reached at

ra*******@gm***.com











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