Poem right on
EDITOR: Mr. Prowell’s poem was right on for many of us. I have lived and worked in Sebastopol for 40 years, and now I feel like a stranger in my home town. And I wish I knew the secret hand shake for Food For Thought — maybe I could fit in.
And while we are dealing with the new reality,
Dr. Hegenrather is wrong. Marijuana can be addictive and ibuprofen is not habit forming. That is what my medical books
tell me.
Dr. Roger Delgado
Sebastopol
On teacher salaries
EDITOR: Your recent article on teacher salaries in Sonoma County contained several misconceptions about west county school districts, and especially my own, the Gravenstein Union School District.
The fact is, Gravenstein teacher salaries are higher than the state average for school districts of our size and type and higher than average for other comparable districts in Sonoma County.
Here’s a link to the CDE website on average salaries for 2016-17 (the latest I could find on the CDE site): https://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/fr/sa/cefavgsalaries.asp.
For 2016-17, the “average” statewide salary was $79,128 (listed just below the last table on the page). But the “average” is across all types of school districts. Salaries vary significantly, depending on district size and between elementary, high school, and unified districts. Except for the high school district, all West County school districts are elementary districts under 1,000 ADA. As you can see, salaries for such districts statewide are lower than for larger districts and lower than for both high school and unified districts. The “state average salary” is meaningless unless you look at the size and type of school district.
For Gravenstein in particular, our beginning teacher salary in 2016-17 was $51,474. Our “midrange” salary (BA plus 60 units, 10 years’ experience) was $67,490. And our highest paid teacher salary was $90,711. All of these are above the statewide average for districts of our size and type ($44,375, $65,296 and $82,489 respectively).
In addition, we compared our teacher salaries with 15 other similar-sized elementary districts in Sonoma County. Our beginning teacher salary ranks first out of 16 districts. Our highest teacher salary ranks second out of 16. Our “middle” teacher salary ranks sixth out of 16 districts.
So Gravenstein is already paying our teachers more than the state average for similar districts and more than most of our neighboring districts in Sonoma County.
And for this year, although negotiations are still under way, we have offered teachers a substantial increase in both salaries and benefits.
Just wanted to set the record straight.
Jim Horn
Sebastopol
No on Measure A
EDITOR: I would like to have a community-centered hospital close to home, and I voted to pay property taxes to keep the former Palm Drive Hospital open every time it was on the ballot. But I cannot vote for Measure A, for three key reasons.
1. Measure A is more costly than shutting the hospital.
Simply closing the hospital would end operating losses, without the added costs of Measure A.
• The property was appraised at less than full market value, because of artificial limits the proponents placed on its use. This technically qualifies as “fair market value.”
• The proposed buyer pays zero cash rent. Instead the buyer gets credit for refurbishing the buildings, then gets to buy them at a price that valued the buildings pre-refurbishing. This is double dipping.
• The buyer pays only $4 million, or about three-quarters of the appraised value of the property, while $1.2 million of the price is “forgiven” if the buyer operates a healthcare facility for 10 years. This $1.2 million is an unearned bonus, for a service the buyer already committed to perform under an exclusive 10-year management contract.
2. Measure A fails to deliver a community-centered hospital.
• The emergency room is gone. The facility is being converted to a “long-term acute care” hospital that caters to large hospitals from out of the area and their patients, also from out of the area.
• The proposed buyer has already turned away local doctors who performed surgery at the old hospitals, Palm Drive and Sonoma West MC, because they don’t get patients in and out fast enough to meet profit margins.
• At the League of Women Voters forum on Feb. 8, the panelists who negotiated with the buyer’s representatives reported the buyer is willing to walk away if Measure A does not pass.
3. Measure A denies the community the opportunity to decide on future uses for the property driven by community benefit.
• For example: partnering with West County Health Centers, creating workforce housing or assisted living facilities, and open space uses.
• Nothing prevents the buyer from selling or developing the property. Given its prime location in Sebastopol adjacent to the Laguna, private developments could include: luxury hotel, high-end housing, corporate or commercial complex.
Please vote No on Measure A. Stop the losses and keep this irreplaceable property dedicated to serving the community.
Elizabeth McCarthy
Sebastopol
Thumbs down on Measure A
EDITOR: Now that the town hall meetings regarding the upcoming Measure A election have concluded, it is time to set the record straight. In the interest of full disclosure, I am a resident of the detached Russian River area. However, since we still pay on the bond debt, our opinion is valid.
First, during the negotiations regarding the sale of the hospital, we have continually been told by Alanna Brogan, that AAMG would “walk away from the deal” if we did not accept the offer. So let’s be clear: The FMV (fair market value) was determined to be $5.2M with zero value given to the building because of deferred maintenance. Common sense will tell you that if AAMG is using the building today with patients in the beds, it must be worth more than zero. So to negotiate with a party that threatens a “take it or leave it” attitude is no negotiation at all. It is really a disingenuous position that the board has given to the voters.
Second, during all the town hall meetings we heard Director Thomas attest to her complete confidence in AAMG. She states that she visited their other facilities and was impressed with their record. We heard the same thing from her in 2017 when SWMC was within days of closing and Durall Capital Holdings was going to rescue the hospital. Her statement then was, “I have met with Mr. Durall and he is an honorable man.” We all know how bad that decision was. So who can blame taxpayers for not believing what we are told?
Gary Harris
Forestville
