Upfront
Palo Alto Historical Association presents a free public program
LAND USE
Schools supporters dismayed by Council vote
UArt: The Story of University Art Speaker: Cornelia Pendleton CFO, University Art
Caswell: Loss of $1.8 million ‘covenant’ payment could pay for 18 teachers
T
he prospect of local schools losing $1.8 million in annual payments from the City of Palo Alto as part of its lease of the Cubberley Community Center did not sit well with school board members or schools supporters Tuesday. Members briefly referred to Monday’s City Council vote to support eliminating a lucrative “covenant not to develop,” one of the guidelines for negotiating a new city lease of the Cubberley
Community Center, which expires at the end of this year. (See story on page 5.) Several school board members said Tuesday they would like to discuss the issue in a future open session. Noting that $1.8 million could pay for 18 teachers, board VicePresident Melissa Baten Caswell said losing that amount of money “would be really hard.” Nancy Krop, vice-president of advocacy for the Palo Alto Coun-
cil of PTAs, said Palo Alto’s current spending of $13,000 per pupil lags far behind per-pupil spending of other high-performing school districts and states. “The top-performing states now spend $16,000 to $22,000 per student,” Krop said. “New York spends $19,000 per student. “I’d tell the Palo Alto City Council that we’re not rolling in money — in fact, we’re millions behind.” N — Chris Kenrick
2EFRESHMENTS s .O ADMISSION CHARGE
University Art, Palo Alto
Sunday, March 2, 2014, 2:00 PM Lucie Stern Community Center, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto
Wednesday
March 5
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Grammy-Nominated Jazz Soloist
Taylor Eigsti
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the school district, why the city should be paying for something that has no value,” Councilman Larry Klein said. “It really makes no sense.” But he and his colleagues all acknowledged that the city and the school district have a shared interest in Cubberley and said he hopes the negotiations proceed in good faith. Instead of simply giving money to the school district, as is current practice, Keene and the council agreed that the covenant funds should instead be spent on fixing up Cubberley, an endeavor that according to staff estimates could cost as much as $18 million. Councilman Marc Berman joined Keene and the rest of his colleagues in championing this approach. “I look at ending the covenant not to develop as ending an agreement that’s obviously obsolete at this point and investing it in the community,” Berman said. Members voted 9-0 to make the elimination of the covenant one of the guidelines for negotiating a new lease. Other guidelines include eliminating the annual
The city and school district are renegotiating the lease for the Cubberley Community Center, which houses artist studios, child care, athletic playing fields, a theater and Foothill College classes. consumer price index increases; exploring a potential reconfiguration of the 8 Cubberley acres owned (not leased) by the city; and eliminating language that allows the school district to buy the city’s portion of the community center. The only issue that council members split on was whether to eliminate an option clause that allows the school district to buy back Ventura Community Center in south Palo Alto from the city. The council ultimately voted 5-4 to support eliminating the clause, with Vice Mayor Liz Kniss and council members Karen Holman,
Gail Price and Greg Schmid dissenting. Council members also asked Keene to attempt to complete negotiations by this summer, a deadline driven by Skelly’s recent announcement that he will be stepping down by June 30. Councilman Pat Burt, who proposed the tighter timeline, argued that both sides have been holding on to their positions for a long time and that nothing will change between now and the end of the year. The council voted 7-2 to support Burt’s proposal, with Klein and Schmid dissenting. N
in Concert A Benefit for
Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts Second Stage 500 Castro St., Mountain View, CA 94041 $103 VIP tickets (includes premium seating & wine and appetizer reception with Taylor at 7pm) $63 General admission tickets Show starts at 8pm Order Tickets Online at www.mvcpa.com By Phone at (650) 903-6000 Or in person at the MVCPA Ticket Office (Wed-Sat, 12 noon to 6pm) Proceeds donated to CHAC, a local nonprofit dedicated to creating healthy lives for youth & families
Enjoy the ride.
Name: Rudi Wever Position: Sales Last Book Read: The Art of Racing in the Rain Last Movie: The Icemen Last Ride: Highway 9, across Skyline Blvd., down Page Mill Rd, and into work.
Mt. Revard
Aix-les-Bains
Favorite Epic Ride: Mt. Revard via Chambery to Aix-les-Bains... amazing! Bike: LeMond Tete de Course
171 University Ave., Palo Alto
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