FREMONT SEEKS COMMUNITY INPUT ON SCHOOL NEEDS

By Rob Dennis
The Argus

FREMONT -- The school district will hold two community meetings next month to find out what residents think about school facility needs for the next two decades.

The sessions are part of an effort to develop a long-range facilities plan and funding strategy, including a possible bond.

The school board Wednesday night discussed options for a bond, including how much the average homeowner would pay under various scenarios.

According to the Alameda County Auditor-Controller, Fremont has the lowest school district tax rate in the county -- $44.40 per $100,000 of assessed value. That compares with $164.50 for Albany and $153.40 for Piedmont, the districts with the highest rates.

Among its neighbors, Newark's rate is $93.50 while New Haven's is $129.50.

"It's an important consideration to see where you stack up," said Chet Wang, managing director of Keygent, which advises Fremont and other California school districts on financing issues. "Even if you were to add on a brand new $60, you would still be in line with ... your neighboring districts."

If the district asked voters to authorize a new tax of $60 per $100,000 of assessed value -- the option that would raise the most money -- the average homeowner, with a house valued at $385,000, would pay an extra $231 a year.

The deadline to put a bond on the ballot would be March 9 for the June primary or Aug. 10 for the November general election.

The board this month hired Godbe Research to conduct a phone survey of 600 Fremont voters about their support for a bond. In November, trustees approved a contract with WLC Architects and MGT of America to estimate how much it would cost to renovate or add facilities and raise technology infrastructure to current standards.

The most recent facilities assessment was completed in 2001 for a health and safety bond the following year. That study identified $230 million in facility needs, $157.2 million of which were covered by the bond. A $7.5 million bond surplus went toward other projects.

The consultants have gathered documents, conducted interviews and evaluated sites, and now they're seeking public input. Those sessions will be held Feb. 4 and 6 at Irvington High School, followed by an online survey Feb. 7 through 13.

"I hope everyone turns out to give their input, because we need everyone's help on this one," trustee Bryan Gebhardt said.

The final assessment report is expected to be completed in March, followed by a long-range facilities plan in June.

MAN DEAD AT SCENE OF HIT AND RUN

By Zoneil Maharaj

A pedestrian was found dead this morning after a possible hit-and-run near the intersection of Alvarado-Niles Road and Union Square Drive in Union City, police said.

Police responded to the location at 6:11 a.m. after receiving a report of a man down, said Sgt. Dean Sato of the Union City Police Department.

Based on the victim’s injuries and evidence at the scene, investigators believe that he was struck by a vehicle going westbound on Alvarado-Niles Road, Sato said.

The victim was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police. His identity has not yet been released.

Police are urging anyone with information to contact investigating officer Michael Silva at 510-675-5292 or the Union City Police Department at 510-471-1365.

Anonymous tips may also be left by calling 510-675-5207 or by emailing tips@unioncity.org.

ARDENWOOD COMMUNITY MEETING REMINDER - 1/25

The Fremont Police Department is hosting a meeting for the Ardenwood community to discuss recent criminal activity that has taken place in the Ardenwood neighborhood. Everyone is invited, please tell your neighbors.

The meeting is scheduled for:
Wednesday, January 25, 2012,
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Forest Park Elementary School, Multipurpose Room
34400 Maybird Circle

We look forward to seeing you there. Feel free to call or email me if you have any questions.

Martha Matthiesen mmatthiesen@fremont.gov
Community Engagement Specialist
Fremont Police
2000 Stevenson Blvd.
Fremont, CA 94538
510 790-6979

WHOSE SILICON VALLEY FOOTPRINT'S GROWING FASTEST

by Mary Ann Azevedo
Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal

Search giant Google and cloud computing pioneer VMware have laid claim to more space in the Bay Area since 2009 than any other tech company, according to a Grubb & Ellis report on Friday.

The firm's managing director, Richard Scott, spoke at the Business Journal's Economic Forecast breakfast Friday about the biggest tech office/R&D space users in Silicon Valley and who has taken the most space since 2009.

While Cisco Systems has by far the biggest CRE footprint in the valley with nearly 7 million square feet, the San Jose networking equipment giant has absorbed very little new space since 2009.

Meanwhile, VMware has done most of its leasing or acquiring of space after 2009 although it was founded in 1998.

As of mid-October 2011, Google had leased or bought about 1.42 million square feet of space and VMware had leased or bought about 1.4 million square feet of space in the Bay Area since 2009 – more than social networking giant Facebook and even more than Apple, which has seen demand for its products explode in recent years.

In the spring of 2011, VMware took over more than 1 million square feet former Roche campus in Palo Alto’s Stanford Research Park. Over the year, Google bought or leased dozens of buildings in Mountain View. And Apple slowly leased up nearly all the available space in Cupertino.

"Apple owns Cupertino. Google owns Mountain View," Scott said. "Now they’re spilling into Sunnyvale."

Looking ahead, he predicted that as Facebook continues to grow beyond its Menlo Park campus, it may end up migrating to the Ardenwood/Fremont area.

"At the end of the day because these movers and shakers are so dynamic and big, they have more to say as to what happens over the next year than any other indicator," Scott said. "And all this activity are signs that they want to stay here."

2012 SUMMER PROGRAMS FAIR @AMERICAN HIGH SCHOOL

Community Event ** Free*** Open to the Public

Organgized by: TGIF - The Gifted in Fremont,Fremont Unified School District

What: "2012 Summer Programs" Fair
Where: American High School (Rotunda), 36300 Fremont Blvd., Fremont, 94536
When: Friday, March 02 , 2012, from 6:15 - 8:15pm
Who: ALL families with kids ages 5-18 yrs
Why * Looking for ways to enhance your kids' study skills, life skills, leadership, and communication skills over the summer?
* Do your teens need service learning hours and activities for their college applications?
* Need ideas to engage your kids for the summer?
Mark your calendar.

Check us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/TGIF-Summer-Programs-Fair/358894864125867?sk=info

If you are a business or an organization that provide services to kids ages 5-18 and would like to showcase your services, contact spf2012@giftedinfremont.org

Logan Teacher Arrested on Suspicion of Having Sex With Student

by Zonelle Maharaj
Newark Patch

A former James Logan High School teacher was arrested Thursday on suspicion of having sex with a student, police said.

Peter Kolesnikov, 38, faces 22 counts of sexual assualt, including charges of statutory rape, oral copulation of a minor and communicating with a minor with criminal intent, according to Cmdr. Ben Horner of the Union City Police Department. He was arrested without incident by Union City police while en route to meet with the juvenile victim at an undisclosed location in Hayward.

Police received information on Tuesday morning alleging that Kolesnikov, an English teacher who also taught some art, had engaged in sexual relations with a 16-year-old girl over a nine-month period, starting last year in March and ending in November. Investigators then served search warrants at Kolesnikov’s residences in San Francisco and Berkeley.

According to the New Haven Unified School District, Kolesnikov has been on leave since the beginning of the school year and has not worked for the district since last June.

The victim, now 17, told police that the relationship began with kissing and grew into sexual encounters in private homes and motels in Alameda County.

Kolesnikov is being held at Santa Rita Jail on $1 million bail and is scheduled to be arraigned at 2 p.m. Jan. 17 at the Fremont Hall of Justice.

Authorities in Union City have worked with the New Haven Unified School District to ensure the safety of all students in the district, Horner said.

Police believe that there may be additional victims and our urging parents to speak to their children about the incident.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Union City Police Department’s Press Information Officer Ben Horner at 510-675-5225. Anonymous tips may also be made by calling 510-675-5207 or emailing tips@unioncity.org.

Kolsenikov becomes the third Bay Area teacher arrested in a sex scandal this week.

On Wednesday in Livermore, Marie Johnson, a 40-year-old Granada High School teacher, was arrested on suspicion of committing 24 counts of sexual assault on a 14-year-old boy. On Tuesday in San Jose, 35-year-old Whaley Elementary School teacher Craig Chandler was arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting a student.

With word of Kolesnikov's arrest spreading rapidly Friday, former students have taken to social media to voice their support for the former Logan teacher, whom many refer to as "Mr. K."

"That was my teacher! No way he would do that. Best teacher I had," one former student wrote on Twitter.

Another student, however, wrote that Kolesnikov "was always talkin bout sex" in art class. "He was the coolest teacher ever though!," the student added.

ARDENWOOD FARM SEE MONARCH BUTTERFLY BOOM

By Jonathan Bloom, KGO

FREMONT, Calif. (KGO) -- Monarch butterflies flock to California's coastline each winter and right now, they're here in record numbers. There's a big surge among the butterfly that is one of nature's great mysteries.

At first glance, they look like clumps of leaves, hanging high in a eucalyptus grove. However, if you look closely and you'll see what may be the biggest population of Monarch butterflies that Ardenwood Historic Farm has ever seen.

"We had 4,188 butterflies," said Ira Bletz, a supervising naturalist. That count is about 10 times the amount from the year before. "And more than we've had in the past 10 years."

Naturalists say it's possible last year's rainfall caused a spike in the growth of the milkweed plant where monarchs lay their eggs, which looks like a little white pinprick that will hatch into a caterpillar. Those caterpillars will eat the milkweed nonstop for 15 days, before starting its transformation.

Most Monarchs live only a few weeks, but each year, one generation will live for six months -- migrating across the country to where the climate is just right. These butterflies have come from as far east as the Rocky Mountains and as far north as British Columbia.

To survive the winter, Monarch butterflies need a ring of trees that's shielded from the wind, but lets in just enough sunlight to keep them warm. And the thing is they don't go looking for it, they just seem to know where it is.

"They've never been here before, they've never seen any other butterflies coming here, but somehow they find their way to specific spots, and they come there to spend the winter," said Bletz.

Because they come from all over, the population surge tells a story far bigger than this grove in Fremont.

"Monarch butterflies are really an indicator of a healthy environment. A good population indicates that things are going well all across the western us," said Bletz.

And in February, they'll head back out across the country to lay their eggs and let the cycle begin again.

These butterflies will not return here, but their great-great-grandchildren will come back next fall to spend the winter here in our eucalyptus grove," said Bletz.

As Class Size Grows, More Chaotic Classrooms

by Richard Lee
New America Media/World Journal

FREMONT, Calif. -- "Guys, I almost can't hear myself," exclaims teacher Jenna Kelly to her large class of third graders at Ardenwood Elementary School in Fremont. She felt torn between paying attention to individual students and controlling the classroom. Whenever she tried to help one student with his class work, the rest of the class clamored for her attention.

Class size is a huge issue at Ardenwood Elementary, which is located in northern Fremont and serves about 900 students, over 70 percent of whom are Asian, largely Chinese and Asian Indian. Each class this year has an average of almost 30 students.

Big budget cuts at the Fremont Unified School District level are to blame. Ardenwood itself did not suffer any dramatic funding. But the district budget dropped from $273 million in 2007-2008 down to $251 million in 2010-2011. Seven teacher positions were cut.

Because there was a no-layoff clause written into the contract for permanent teachers, layoffs targeted temporary teachers. Attrition made up for the rest. To compensate, each classroom was required to absorb more students, raising student-teacher ratios across the district. In FUSD, class size for first and third grades went up 40 percent from 20 in to 28.

"It's just more chaotic," says Kelly, who spends a lot more time keeping students quiet before she can teach. Kelly is grateful there are more parents volunteering in the classroom. But she's also seen a dramatic increase in students. She winds up spending less time with each student.

"It's just not the same," she explains. "They are louder, they are not reading as fast, and their scores aren't as high (as before)," she says.

Teacher workloads outside the classroom are also heavier because there are more papers to grade. Kelly says her class usually has two to three tests per week and it takes an average of 45 extra minutes to grade each test, not to mention the time to prepare learning materials for more students. "If you are talking about planning and preparing, that's a couple of hours more." She takes work home about three nights a week and often works on weekends.

Paula Rugg, principal of Ardenwood, recalls that it was difficult when teachers needed to absorb eight more students into their classes for the first time. But, she says, teachers slowly learned to be more creative to help students adjust to more crowded classrooms.

"Teachers learned to manage the class by having children in groups," Rugg says. "There's a lot of group work now. If you walk into a classroom, you'll see kids sitting in table groups." Ying Lu, a Chinese mother of a fifth grader at Ardenwood, says she was concerned about classroom sizes at first, but was glad that her son was able to adapt quite well. "He makes more friends in the class, and his test score is about the same," she says.

Rugg says teachers are doing a great job to minimize the impact and school data suggest English learners' performance hasn't been impacted. English language learners account for 17 percent of the entire student body, many of whom are Chinese.

Ivy Wu, a FUSD board member, says Chinese parents, like other parents, are stressed about declining school funding levels and don't understand how school budgets are made. She thinks Chinese-English learners are doing alright because their parents -- while not necessarily wealthy -- "spend their money on education purposes."

In fact, Ardenwood parents overall have been donating to the school to reduce class size, but the deficit was too big to be covered by parental donations.

Apart from class size, the school district has also eliminated a variety of services over recent years, including cutting school bus services, eliminating teachers' positions in fine arts, music and sports, shortening the last school year to 177 from 180, as well as reducing school library hours.

"(Back in 2010), I only worked two and a half days a week," says Sandhya Sharma, Ardenwood's librarian. The result is that students come only once every other week, she says, losing the chance to learn research skills and check out books.

Voters approved a FUSD parcel tax in 2010, which school officials believe will generate about $3 million a year over the next five years. By using the property tax levy, Ardenwood was able to restore the school library hours and bring back their arts and music teachers.

"With more budget cuts looming, we are still very concerned about the future," says Wu.

Fremont Unified School District:

Class Size: 28 in Kindergarten to 3rd grades, 30 in 4th and 5th grades. In high schools, classes were staffed at 27.5 to 1, but some core academic classes (English, Math, Social Science and Science) were as high as 36 to 1.

Teacher Layoffs: None. However, 202 temporary teachers were laid off.

School Year: 180 Days, restored from 177 days in 2010-2011.

AUTHORITIES ID MAN KILLED IN FREMONT HIT-and-RUN

By Chris De Benedetti
Fremont Argus

FREMONT -- Authorities have identified the 56-year-old man who died in a hit-and-run accident involving two vehicles near the Newark-Fremont border Monday night.

Ralph Huerta was crossing Ardenwood Boulevard about 7:42 p.m., when he was struck by the vehicles, an Alameda County Coroner's Bureau official said.

Police said Huerta was first hit by a silver or light-colored sport utility vehicle going southbound on Ardenwood Boulevard, near Highway 84.

The SUV knocked him to the pavement and drove away, police said.

A car behind the SUV also ran over Huerta and kept going. Based on physical evidence found at the scene, police believe a 2003 to 2007 four-door Honda Accord was the second vehicle and sustained damage to its right front wheel area.

Huerta, a transient, was taken to Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley where he died.

Anyone with information about the incident are asked to call police at 510-790-6760 or 510-790-6972.