The Davis Voice

Nugget Fields Meeting: May 6th

Nugget vs. 7/11: Is This a Fair Match?

As has been mentioned before on The Davis Voice, a 7-11 Committee is not a new way to buy a Slurpee, but a committee of the school district. It determines whether school district should be declared surplus or not. If it is declared surplus, the School District has the option to sell it or use it for non-educational purposes.

Our editor has served on a previous 7-11 Surplus Property Committee and this writer is the Chiar of the present 7-11 Surplus Committee.  In previous posts by other Davis Voice writers, you have read about Nugget Fields.  The present 7-11 Surplus Committee was actually put in place to deal with Nugget Fields aka the Wildhorse property.

After the jump, find all of the details on how to voice your opinion on this important matter.

Carnival to Support Emerson PTA

Don't Be Afraid of the Carnie Folk

The carnival is coming to our idyllic little burg for the first time in 40 years.  Given the current status of our school financing, it is quite fortuitous that the beneficiary of the proceeds is the Emerson Junior High PTA.  Thankfully, the DJUSD school board spared us a depressing carnival weekend by voting recently to keep all of the junior highs open next year.

What is it about carnivals that make our hearts beat a little faster?  I'll let master wordsmith Tom Robbins take it from here:

There was a time when Americans stayed put.  For the majority of them, journeys were short and few.  Consequently, their live entertainment came to them.  The circus, the carnival, the dog-and-pony show... brought to the towns and villages on their muddy itineraries glimpses of worlds which the sedentary folks had never visited; not just ethnic and geographical oddities but the worlds of romance and glamour and style.  As we became urbanized and sophisticated and, above all, mobile - highly, highly mobile - the touring attractions naturally declined.  [Yet] there is still potency in their imagery, fascination in their naive promises of magic, exotica, and unknown quantities.

After the jump, get all of the details about the tawdry wonders available for your consumption this weekend at Cannery Park.

DJUSD Budget Crisis: A Call to Arms

Lions, Leaders, and a Line in the Sand, Oh, My!
by Michael P. Bartolic

Over the weeks as we’ve been watching the impending budget tragedy engulf our schools, an aphorism of my dear old Dad keeps rising through my subconscious: “Better a lion leading a flock of sheep than a sheep leading a pride of lions”.

I keep hoping and praying the school board will show some gumption, and step outside the game that the Governor is playing. Instead, we seem to be condemned to witness what happens when misplaced conformance is nothing less than thoughtless political cooperativeness.

After the jump, Michael's call to arms.

DJUSD's Budget Problems: A Primer

DJUSD Budget History 101A: Take a Seat

Our People's Republic prides itself on being a well educated city.  As is often the case with university towns, the public education system for our community's children is above par.   But with declining enrollment (see not enough housing for young families), a state budget crisis and shady dealings and/or incompetence by past administrators, DJUSD is facing one of its worst fiscal crises in recent history.

When we started the Davis Voice in January, we thought that people would be clamoring to get up on our soapbox to comment on all things DJUSD.  Perhaps we haven't dialed the right phone number yet, but if you know of anyone who wants to keep us all current of DJUSD happenings in a fair, civil, and semi-regular column, email us at tips@davisvoice.com. 

We've only reported twice on DJUSD happenings: once on the 7/11 Nugget Fields Committee and once on proposed long-term solutions for DJUSD's budget.  After the jump, find your editor's hazy recollection of DJUSD's budget mess over the past few years.  This attempt will be a novel approach relying solely on memory of past events.  We're hoping that some enlightened citizen will read this attempt, stare aghast at its inaccuracies, and set forth on a quest to enlighten us all on the challenges that face our local schools.

DJUSD Long Term Funding Challenges

A Day Decade Late, A Dollar $,$$$,$$$ Short
by Michael P. Bartolic

With the threat of massive cuts to schools from the state budget, the already horrible fiscal health of the the Davis Joint Unified School District just took a roundhouse to the head that would make Chuck Norris proud. 

The Davis Voice has kept you in the loop on a couple of DJUSD issues that face this community (see DJUSD category to the left), but until now, we've been light on offering suggestions for improvement.

After the jump, find two proposals that will do nothing to ensure that music classes aren't cut next year BUT will give DJUSD the safety net it so direly needs.  And, no, neither proposal includes using Chuck Norris' tears to instantly solve the problem... Chuck Norris has never cried.

Nugget Fields 7/11 Committee

This is About Soccer, Not Slurpees

Last year, I served on the DJUSD’s 7/11 Surplus Property Committee for the Grande Site. No, the committee is not called “7/11” because we held our meetings in a convenience mart with Giant Slurpees; it is a reference to the state-mandated makeup of 7 to 11 local citizens.

During that process, I believe that we diligently followed the precepts of open and good government.  We challenged the administration and neighbors to provide thorough feedback and evidence on this matter. Somewhat reluctantly, we recommended that with the current status of facilities, enrollment, and programs, DJUSD had no foreseeable educational uses for the site.  DJUSD is now pursuing the sale/development of this site with ongoing input from the Neighborhood Association.

Now, the community must face the fact that Nugget Fields is also on the chopping block. By the way, it’s time for opponents of Covell Village  to step up to the plate for a rational discussion on how to preserve park (and other open) space without concomitant development… 

After the jump, you’ll find the first column by Michael P. Bartolic. Mike will be contributing regularly on parks, recreation and a smattering of other issues that keep him up late at night.