School board drama, actual drama, and a disputed dispensary
With a 5-0 vote in March, the Sonoma Valley Unified School District board named Socorro Shiels, the former head of Santa Rosa schools, its choice for Superintendent. An agenda item to formally offer her the job at the April 17 read like a mere formality, given the unanimous vote three weeks prior. But a very vocal groundswell of opposition to Shiels personally, and the terms of the contract the district had prepared for her, made the board reconsider. The vote to hire never came. Instead, after getting an earful of negative public comments, the board yanked the vote off the agenda. It returns May 8. Until then, trustees Nicole Ducarroz and Sal Chavez will work on renegotiating the contract. That document (that nobody is anxious to take credit for) called for a starting salary of $225,000, the highest superintendent rate in the county. The $400 a month car allowance didn’t go over too well, either… The terms are “exorbitant, insulting, and inconsiderate of the financial situation facing the district ” according to Renea Magnani, president of Valley of the Moon Teachers Association. More personally, Magnani, in a letter to the board anonymously quoting some of Shiels’ previous employees, uses terms like “disaster,” “bad choice” and “appalling.” Even Russian hackers figure that May 8 meeting will be a doozy.
Meanwhile the search for a new Sonoma Valley High School principal is underway, with a public forum with selected candidates set for May 9. This “round one” Q and A will be followed by private interviews with the resulting finalists on May 16. The final selection will be announced June 21, according to a school district timeline. While the vetting process of initial applicants is underway now, the district invites students and parents to be part of the interview panel for the May 9 meeting. Find out more on the SVUSD web page.
Speaking of drama, the Santa Rosa Junior College production of Stephen Sondheim’s “Into the Woods,” playing through May 6, is far from Grimm. Siobhan O’Reilly, of Sonoma, is playing the cow, Milky White, and is finishing up her Theatre Arts transfer major. “I have always loved fairytales and deconstructions of fairytale tropes,” she says. “I think it’s fascinating how they reflect and inform our culture and our unconscious.” Victor Santoyo Cruz, another Sonoman, is pursuing his Acting Certificate and is a member of the ensemble. Playing Cinderella’s father is Sonoma High grad Danny Banales, a Theatre Arts major with an emphasis in playwriting. And then there’s Kira Catanzaro, as the Stepmother. “I’ve never played a character with a black heart. I have two teenage sons, so I thought I’d try daughters! I am struggling with motherhood, particularly around issues of guilt—not being good enough or present enough and letting go of my sons who want more space and freedom. So here I am!”
If the neighbors have their way, plans for a marijuana dispensary in Glen Ellen, at the old Fire House at the corner of Madrone and Arnold, will go up in smoke. The facility has already initial approval, but neighboring residents say at least 200 children live within 600 feet. “The business is not compatible with our residential neighborhood and for the safety of our children,” writes Karla Noyes. And the projected 150 customers per day will affect parking and traffic. “It is in both the owner’s and the neighborhood’s best interest to find a more suitable location.” It will all go on the record May 23 when the group addresses the Sonoma Valley Citizens Advisory Commission. Put that in your pipe and smoke it – medicinally, or course.
— Val Robichaud, [email protected]
