8/2/2019 SM Daily Journal Klein Resigns 14-04-19-12

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www.smdailyjournal.comThursday April 19, 2012 Vol XII,Edition 211

DICK CLARK DIESNATION PAGE 12

WILSON TO HAVEELBOW SURGERY

SPORTS PAGE 13

BILL TO MAKE FIRINGBAD TEACHERS EASIER

NATION PAGE 6

AMERICAN BANDSTANDHOST DEAD AT 82

Michelle DurandDAILY JOURNAL STAFF

San Carlos Mayor Andy Klein,who took the position nearly a yearago after the unexpected death ofOmar Ahmad, announced his resig-

nation yesterday, citing some majorsetbacks in his personal life includ-ing the dissolution of his marriageand alcohol issues.

Its a lot ofthings. Its alco-hol, its my mar-riage, its stress. Ihavent been tak-ing the time toappropr ia te lydeal with every-thing and I cantkeep bulldozingahead. At some

point, people hit their breakingpoint, Klein said.

In his resignation letter, Klein, 30,said remaining a public servant dur-ing this time is no longer feasible.

While juggling my personal andpublic life I have not afforded myselfthe time and care to appropriatelycope with this loss. I have made deci-sions in my personal life that havebecome detrimental to my health and

others. I have begun treatment toaddress my situation and ask every-one to allow me the time and privacyto do so, Klein wrote.

Kleins resignation is effectiveimmediately. Vice Mayor MattGrocott will serve as acting mayoruntil the City Council makes a newmayoral appointment. The CityCouncil will also decide whether toappoint a new member to the empty

seat to finish out Kleins term, whichends next year, or leave the positionempty until the November election.Grocott said he anticipates havingthat discussion in two weeks.

Klein was elected in November2009 in an uncontested race andnamed vice mayor in 2011. ThatMay, Klein became acting mayor

San Carlos mayor resignsLetter cites major setbacks including divorce,alcohol treatment

Andy Klein

HEATHER MURTAGH/DAILY JOURNAL

Above:Capuchino High School art teacher Maria Sky arranges student-created tiles that will adorn the schools

new art building.Below: Students designed tiles using the inspiration of their heroes.

By Heather MurtaghDAILY JOURNAL STAFF

Raising enrollment and revenueare better goals than a school clo-

sure, concerned parents told SanBruno school officials contemplat-ing a committee report that recom-mended combining two schools.

Declining enrollment and finan-cial challenges are at the heart of theconversation though the committeesuggested a closure would not savethat much money. And some speak-ers at last nights meeting say theyare still shaken by the September2010 pipeline explosion and fire.Closing a school and even thediscussion of it would only addto that sense of instability, somesaid.

The San Bruno Park SchoolDistrict Board of Trustees last nightwere presented with the report from

Parents plead: Donot close a school

By Michelle DurandDAILY JOURNAL STAFF

Editors note: The Daily Journalis profiling the eight candidates forthe District Four supervisor electionJune 5. The candidates are featuredin alphabetical order.

We all have the same amount oftime in a day, according toGuillermo Memo Morantes.

Its just how well we do with

what we have,said the countyBoard ofE d u c a t i o ntrustee whoadmittedly does-nt sit still toolong.

Morantes, 64,

is now busy try-ing to add anoth-

Running for supervisor:Whole new experienceBy Heather Murtagh

DAILY JOURNAL STAFF

Art teacher Maria Sky had manyextra keys dangling from her neckWednesday morning as sheunlocked the door to the computerlab for animation.

Sky hasnt had the chance to getrid of old keys for the new. Soinstead, she had both sets of build-ing keys. Keys to the old art build-ing, demolished Tuesday, are no

A dream fulfilledNew Capuchino art building took creativity,vision

GuillermoMorantes

SeeMEMO, Page 23See ART, Page 23

HEATHER MURTAGH/DAILY JOURNAL

Betti Magoolaghan speaks againstschool closure at a San Bruno ParkSchool District Board of Trusteesmeeting held at RollingwoodElementary School Wednesday.See SCHOOL, Page 22

See KLEIN, Page 22

8/2/2019 SM Daily Journal Klein Resigns 14-04-19-12

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the committee charged with making a rec-ommendation about which district schoolto close. While the report said there wereno overwhelming reasons to close aschool, the committee suggested combin-ing two schools if the board were to moveforward. Since it was just a presentation,

the board did not make any comments butdid allow public comments.Overwhelmingly, parents asked for theboard to do whats best for all kids by notclosing any schools. Board President SkipHenderson said a special meeting will bescheduled soon to discuss the topic.

The 17 speakers had a common theme:Closing a school is a bad idea, regardlessof which one was to get the ax.

No matter what the outcome, no schoolor child wins. Please do not close ourschools, said Rollingwood parent MarisaHorne, who presented a petition signed by720 against the closure of Rollingwood.

The committees report said if a schoolshould be closed, transferring CrestmoorElementary School students to eitherRollingwood or Portola elementaryschools would be the least disruptive

option. Parents came with signs supportingCrestmoor alluding to the Sept. 9, 2010explosion and fire that killed eight,destroyed 38 homes and has caused linger-ing issues for the community.

We survived the fires but can we sur-

vive the school boards? one sign read.Betti Magoolaghan, a former Crestmoor

parent, was among the families displacedby the explosion. She noted Crestmoorwas one of the few constants for herdaughter who is still healing. While livingin Belmont,before being able to return, thefamily drove her to Crestmoor. She saidthe school closure talks felt like a betrayal.Tired of the uncertainty, she and her hus-band have decided to pull their childrenfrom San Bruno schools.

Many others questioned closing one of

the districts top performing schools.Doing so, many argued, would force morepeople to leave the district. Instead, peopleurged officials to look for creative solu-tions. District Superintendent David Huttpreviously gave a number of reasons forthe conversation.

Starting this fall, San Bruno studentswill attend elementary school through fifthgrade and start at Parkside Intermediate insixth grade. Changing which school servessixth grade will shift about 280 studentsfrom the elementary schools. In addition,the district has seen an overall drop inenrollment. Combining those enrollmentchanges with the possibility of additionalcuts from the state, the district needs toplan for the worst-case scenario closinga school, he said.

The committee report, however, found

the possible savings to be not significant a point many speakers made.Hutt said that the closure is one thing to

consider in a larger budget conversation.For many years, the district turned to

deficit spending or one-time funds to cover

its budget. This year, the board directedstaff to create a balanced budget. Whilethat has not yet been released, it will meanspending about $750,000 less, Hutt said.In addition, without proposed statewidetaxes passing in November,school districtswill lose $370 per student or an estimated$970,000 in the case of San Bruno. Intotal, that would be $1.7 million less.

Closing a school would not make up thatmoney. Since students, teachers and sup-port staff needs wouldnt change, the costsavings is from less administration and

other smaller costs. Hutt estimated savingscould range from $200,000 to $225,000annually.

Chris Kiely, a former trustee in the dis-trict, questioned why the reasons for thisconversation werent discussed publiclybefore a school was named. He acknowl-edged closing a school may be a necessaryconversation but, by not engaging thecommunity with the problem sooner, thedistrict missed an opportunity to focus onsolutions, he said.

As a district, San Bruno has previouslytackled the possibility of closing a schoolduring the 2006-07 school year due to adrop in enrollment. An uptick for the fol-lowing school year caused the district todrop the talks.

Declining enrollment forced the closureof two schools in the 1970s. Carl Sandburg

Elementary was closed in 1978 and wassold for $30.5 million in 2006. The districtleases 20 acres for a driving range on whatwas once Engvall Middle School atInterstate 280 and Sneath Lane to VB GolfInc.

Continued from page 1

SCHOOL

after Ahmad died May 10 of a heart attack. The next weeks wererocky as two days after Ahmads death, Klein was arrested onsuspicion of driving while intoxicated hours after a memorialservice for Ahmad. Klein blew a .08 on a breathalyzer but ablood test would later pinpoint his blood alcohol level at .07,leading to the District Attorneys Office to not file charges. Kleinbriefly withdrew his mayoral bid after his arrest but reconsideredafter the case was dropped. He was unanimously voted in per-manently. At the next rotation, Klein was again named mayorand hes held the position until yesterdays surprise announce-ment.

Klein said he is thankful for the time he served and called itone of the greatest honors of my life.

During his tenure, the City Council wrestled with some high-profile decisions including the outsourcing of several city serv-ices, including police and fire. Both public safety changes drewstrong debate, particularly the disbanding of the Belmont-SanCarlos Fire Department and subsequent creation of a hybriddepartment with the city of Redwood City.

Klein was a vocal critic of the Planning Commissionsapproval of a conditional use permit for an outdoor addition todowntown nightclub Carlos Club and was part of the 3-2 vote

just last week reversing its decision.Klein also launched a citywide volunteer day as his mayoral

pet project which is being held Saturday, April 28.Prior to being elected to the City Council, Klein was elected

chair of the General Plan Advisory Committee. The GPAC wasan advisory committee selected by the City Council that metseveral times each month over a year and a half to develop theSan Carlos 2030 General Plan Update. Klein was also an activemember of the San Carlos Youth Advisory Council during histime attending middle school in San Carlos.

The citys last council resignation occurred in March 2001when then-mayor David Buckmaster stepped down for a moveto a new job and residence in El Dorado Hills. The seat wasfilled on an interim basis until the next election with Inge TiegelDoherty was elected to finish the terms balance and was re-elected.

Aside from Ahmads passing, the council also had one othermid-term death in 1988 when councilman Bill Lindeburg suc-cumbed to a long bout with leukemia.

The choice between an interim appointment and holding offfor the election will be based in part on the risk of potentiallydeadlocked votes by a four-member council on upcoming bigissues like Wheeler Plaza and the Transit Village, Grocott said.

Continued from page 1

KLEIN

that people want to get rid of the cables and they dont wantthose mountains of remote controls either.

Martin Rask, a 38-year old from Stockholm, said the all-in-one concept sounded interesting but wondered how it couldkeep up with new technologies.

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