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Letters
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- Written by: Kathy Gonzales
I have had my own children graduate from Clear Lake High School and currently have grandchildren attending both Lakeport Elementary School and Terrace Middle School. I chose to attend the last LUSD Board meeting to hear both sides of the pool issue and to get a better sense of how our schools are currently operating. My family and I have always felt that our schools are strong and have provided support to our children.
I was glad that I attended the last LUSD Board meeting as it provided me with information on where I could start doing my own research, as both sides seem to be saying something different around similar topics. After my initial research, I feel even stronger that our current LUSD Board, the school administration and staff have the best interest of all of our students. It is unfortunate that the candidates that are running against our current board members are not being upfront on the real issues, but choose to lead with emotion and partial facts.
It seems like there are three main platforms that Carly Alvord, Dan Buffalo and Jennifer Hanson are running off of: 1. School safety; 2. Teacher retention; and 3. Mismanagement of bond funds, primarily for pool construction. I might be overgeneralizing these, but from my social interactions, I have narrowed it down to these three.
Over the past month, my friends and family have experienced excessive pressure from the Alvord, Buffalo, Hanson team; pushing to place campaign signs in their yards, being shown pictures of classroom destruction from last year at public meet and greet events, and sharing their views stating that our schools need to make sure that the special education children are not placed in the same classroom with the general education students as it may cause undue disruptions. All of which is strengthening the support for our current LUSD Board members in my opinion.
Where are the boundaries of this campaign and is it not the responsibility of the LUSD Board to be protecting and serving all the students of our community? This breach of confidence from the Alvord, Buffalo, Hanson team in how our public schools should be operating reassures me that my vote will be for the incumbents, Dennis Darling and Tom Powers.
The tipping point for me in writing this letter to the editor is from the statements made at the Sept. 6 LUSD Board meeting when Alvord, Buffalo and Hanson stated that they knew nothing about the facilities master plan priority list that was created by the school district once the Measure T Bond was approved on the November 2014 ballot by voters.
Since that meeting, I have visited the LUSD Web site and found information provided regarding the bond, along with minutes from each Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee, or CBOC, meeting.
During this research, I have found that two of the three candidates are on that committee. Not only are Dan Buffalo and Jen Hanson both members of the CBOC, Dan was voted in as the clerk and Jen as the secretary at the very first meeting held on May 18, 2015.
According to the CBOC meeting minutes from Oct. 15, 2015, former LUSD Superintendent “Erin Smith-Hagberg reported that the Facilities Master Plan would be presented to the community on October 29th at 6:00 pm in the District Office. The CBO Committee is invited to attend this meeting.” As further evidence, it was again mentioned during the next meeting of the CBOC held on Jan. 21, 2016, which was led by Dan Buffalo, as the current president was not in attendance, that “Erin Smith-Hagberg reported that the Facilities Master Plan has been completed and is available for review on the website,” as was printed in the meeting minutes.
For the campaign of Alvord, Buffalo and Hanson to be standing on the platform of mismanagement of bond funds and that a “new set of eyes” is needed for the bond oversight, I find it extremely interesting that “a draft of the CBOC Annual Report was developed and submitted for review by Dan Buffalo” as was directly reported in the meeting minutes from January 5, 2017. Furthermore, during the approval of expenses at this same meeting it was written that, “The committee would also like to note that all expenditure reports are clear, concise, and accomplish an outstanding job in informing the committee on current, past and future bond expenditures.”
Finally, during the CBOC meeting held on Jan. 23, 2018, it was reported in the meeting minutes that “CBOC board member Dan Buffalo developed a draft of the Annual Report for the Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee. Committee members reviewed the draft and had no suggestions for change. Board members commended Mr. Buffalo on a job well done.”
How could both candidate Dan Buffalo and candidate Jen Hanson state, in a public meeting, that they knew nothing about the facts that were being presented from the project list that was part of the facilities master plan during the LUSD Board meeting held on Sept. 6? Especially given that both of them have been members of the CBOC since its inception and are still active members of the committee. If I had not taken the time to research information on the bond, I would have believed that what they were saying was true, as there was a lot of emotion being used to create a feeling of mistrust of our current LUSD Board members. I now know that emotions and politically charged jargon are being used to persuade our community to NOT look at the facts, but rather to make decisions driven by emotions.
I encourage each of you to do some research, ask questions, and be leary of overarching statements that seem to be riddled in emotion. Our current school district is consistently being transparent, has answered all of my current questions when I have reached out, and has a clear mission on meeting the needs of all of our students in our community.
The positive changes that I have noticed in this school district over the past year and a half can be directly attributed to the hard work of our current board members and superintendent. In order to continue seeing these positive changes grow and develop, it is imperative that both Dennis Darling and Tom Powers be re-elected to the LUSD Governing Board.
Kathy Gonzales lives in Lakeport, Calif.
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- Written by: Peter G. R. MacRae, M.A.
He attached a caveat that there be an FBI investigation, not to exceed one week, into the Ford and Ramirez allegations of sexual assault.
The 21 U.S senators on the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Senate and the House of Representatives as a whole, divided along party lines, are, sometimes viciously attacking each other.
They are joined by a small population of passionate people on both the right and the left. Those people create demonstrations often without logic or facts. These are the people who are “tearing themselves apart.” It is not America tearing itself apart.
In a graduate school seminar heated debate on why more people were not politically active, I paraphrased a political science professor from undergraduate school who opined, “Fortunately, there are only a few passionate minorities on both the left and the right with a great mass in the center. Otherwise, we would have a revolution every four years.”
Here in our county, which is probably not dissimilar to the rest of the country, most people have opinions on various issues, some with strong opinions. Yet we socialize together, do business together, attend events together and even go to church together without “tearing each other apart.”
For those who believe I am being naïve, American political history since the end of World War II proves that the “crises” of today will pass, to be followed by yet other “crises.”
Peter MacRae holds a master’s degree in international relations and international conflict resolution. He is the author of four books: “A Measured Response: The United Global Security Partnership,” “The Poppies of Mohammed,” “Do the Muslims Have An Argument?” and “A Capital Crime.” He is currently working on a sequel to “The Poppies of Mohammed,” the title of which is “ISIS and the Lone Wolf.” He lives in Lakeport, Calif.
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- Written by: Sarah C. Billig
Frankly, I do not think so.
The Terrace Middle School principal, Mrs. Rachel Paarsch, has been nothing short of amazing in her time at the school.
I have had a very conflicted relationship with this school district (including my wife and I settling a lawsuit against the school district).
Recently, Mrs. Paarsch was hired to be the principal of Terrace Middle School and since her hire date, my relationship with the school and its employees has improved immensely. I credit this mainly to Mrs. Paarsch’ s willingness to reach out and invite our family to be part of the school community and ensure that we felt safe in our interactions with school employees.
Our schools need people who give their professional experience as well as giving of themselves. I find Mrs. Paarsch to be a perfect example of that – and I have observed improvements since she arrived in the behavior of the students at the school, the morale of the teachers and staff, and have felt a general positive feeling while on school grounds.
Again, her willingness to reach out to my family and invite us back into the school community has been incredibly healing for myself and my children. Lake County needs more devoted, caring, and passionate people like Mrs. Paarsch.
While I applaud LUSD’s forethought and fantastic choice in hiring Mrs. Paarsch as the principal for Terrace Middle School, I strongly question the sudden and unforeseen leave of this experienced, capable and caring principal from our school district.
Though I will not be able to attend the school board meeting Oct. 4 at 6 p.m., I encourage all caring parents and community members to attend and make it clear to the board that this community supports Mrs. Paarsch.
If this is how we treat our treasured and hardworking school administrators, who would ever decide to come to this district and teach our students?
Sarah C. Billig is a parent and resident of north Lakeport, Calif.
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- Written by: Dan Buffalo
My name is Dan Buffalo and I am running for the Lakeport Unified School District Governing Board.
My wife, Megan [Casey], grew up in Lakeport. She introduced me to Lake County, and we decided to make it our family’s home, loving every moment since.
I have a bachelor’s degree from UC Davis and a master’s degree from USC. I am a certified public accountant (CPA) and serve as the chief financial officer for the City of Ukiah, responsible for managing an $83 million budget. Formerly, I had the privilege of serving as the finance director for the city of Lakeport.
Over the course of my 13 years as a professional in local government, I developed a record of building successful teams and organizations.
I am a proud father of three wonderful children – two who currently attend Lakeport Unified schools.
One of the reasons we moved to Lakeport was the quality of those schools, which had a reputation for attracting great teachers and offering excellent academic programs.
Education is something I value greatly. I come from a family of educators, and I married into a family of educators. I am also an adjunct professor at Mendocino College, Lake County Center.
The practice of education is a part of me, and it has provided me with a valuable perspective.
I chose to run for Lakeport School Board because the decisions this board will make over the next two years – and the next decade – will have a direct impact on our community.
Our businesses depend on a capable workforce. Our hospitals, police and fire departments rely on well-educated doctors, nurses, officers, and firefighters. Our neighborhoods grow stronger and more secure because of good schools.
There are three important aspects of my platform:
Great people: Good schools start with great people. We need to support, retain, and recruit outstanding teachers, volunteers, and administrators. We need to promote a culture of respect and dignity. And we need to foster a learning environment that is safe, secure, and free of Distraction.
Classroom resources: Experienced teachers know best how to deliver a lesson and make their students successful. We must trust them, and provide important resources. This means securing materials, supplies, and services teachers need to instruct, and students need to learn. For our younger students, this includes providing aides in the classroom to mitigate
disruptions to learning, enhancing volunteerism, and encouraging greater parent-teacher collaboration.
Smart money: I will honor the will of our community as to how district resources are best spent. I will fight to appropriate every dollar in its budget (including bond money) to maximize the educational value to our students. This includes funding for academics, athletics, and activities that teach basic life skills. We can afford nothing less.
With your support, I believe we can affect positive change on a school district in need of new energy, new ideas, and a commitment to do what’s best for students and the community.
I have the expertise, insight, and perspective to find the right solutions to fix our district’s problems – always with the best interests of our students and community’s concerns at heart.
Please join in voting for Dan Buffalo, Jennifer Hanson and Carly Alvord on Nov. 6. Together, we will be able to make a big positive change for our schools.
Get more information at www.fixLUSD.com or contact me directly at
Dan Buffalo lives in Lakeport, Calif.