San Ramon Valley Unified School District's Dougherty Valley PreSchool Survey

Community Collaborates with School District, City, County and Local Businesses to Publicize the Dougherty Valley Preschool Round-up Survey Windemere, Gale Ranch, and Bridges residents have united to start a grassroots movement to help the San Ramon Valley Unified School District (SRVUSD) ensure that Dougherty Valley (DV) residents with children ages 0-4 years old participate in the District’s preschool round-up survey. An online survey link, authorized by Mayor Wilson, is also located on the City of San Ramon’s web page.

Printed surveys can be picked up at any of the 4 DV elementary schools, the San Ramon and Dougherty Station Community Centers, the San Ramon and Dougherty Station libraries, and at several different local businesses, such as My Gym, Connect1 Verizon Wireless and P3 Party Place— all around the San Ramon Marketplace.

It is ESSENTIAL that ALL DV residents complete and return the survey to help the District better plan the future capacity of our four new elementary schools: Coyote Creek (CC), Hidden Hills (HH), Quail Run (QR) and Live Oak (LO).

As of mid-April, only 464 out of approximately 7,110 housing units have completed the survey. In order to reach as many of the qualifying DV residents as possible, we are asking all media outlets (newspapers, websites, magazines, tv, etc.) to publicize the survey and to explain the importance of everyone’s participation.

287+ Dougherty Valley (DV) Elementary School Diversions Possible For Fall 2008

72 kindergarten students and 287 overall DV elementary students (as of April 4) are projected to be diverted from their home elementary schools for Fall 2008, with more students expected to move in over the summer. Two years ago, in March 2006, a group of Windemere residents asked the SRVUSD to get an actual count of the number of preschoolers living in the DV, rather than relying on generic, possibly outdated projections. At that time, the District assured community representatives that the DV was going through “growing pains” like all new developments and the overcapacity was a “bubble” or a “pig in a python” which would resolve itself shortly over time. Furthermore, the District stated that two additional elementary schools were being built (QR and LO), which would relieve the overcapacity problems. However, based on the fact that all four elementary schools have been completed; three of the four schools held kindergarten lotteries for Fall 2008; and the fact that the DV is considered a “phenomenon” with regards to the higher than expected percentage of families with young children moving into the community, the District recently agreed to conduct a preschool round-up survey during the months of April and May, as suggested by DV residents.

Overcapacity May Increase as New Dougherty Valley (DV) Homes Continue to be Built

DV elementary schools are the largest in the District, built to master plan capacity of 900, which allows for 150 students per grade. As reference, on February 28, Live Oak had 192 participants in its kindergarten lottery and ended up with 46 on the wait list. Eventually a total of 11,000 homes will be built in Windemere, the Bridges and Gale Ranch. According to the December 10, 2007 Dougherty Valley Oversight Committee (DVOC) report, DV housing units were approximately at 65% buildout, yet the schools are at 100% buildout. Our community fears overcapacity problems are likely to worsen as new homes continue to be built.

Why Does Overcapacity Already Exist in New Dougherty Valley (DV) Elementary Schools?

Data collected from the preschool survey can be used to verify the accuracy of the District’s original projected enrollment as determined by the student generation factors: assumed to be 0.079-0.519 student per household unit. For the breakdown by grade, see Table 7.2-2 below, taken from the San Ramon General Plan (pages 4-5 from online link http://www.ci.san-ramon.ca.us/gprc/images/chap7.pdf):



Do I Live in the Dougherty Valley?

Anyone living in the 94582 zip code is considered to be a DV resident. Many families who just moved to the area do not even realize they live in the DV, and unless parents have a child ready to enter kindergarten, they are usually unaware of the overcapacity situation in the schools.

Are My Children Currently Affected By These Problems?

Since 2003, overcapacity in DV elementary schools has been an on-going problem at Coyote Creek, Hidden Hills and most recently, Live Oak. When some Hidden Hills and Coyote Creek residents first moved into the area 4–8 years ago, they could not have imagined being in a lottery situation and yet their oldest children were recently put on the wait list at their perspective schools. Even if your oldest child is already enrolled in a DV school and the younger one will receive sibling priority, these children STILL need to be accounted for since they will fill a kindergarten space. This is why EVERYONE with a child age 0-4 years old needs to participate in the survey today.

Has the District Taken Steps to Address the Dougherty Valley (DV) Overcapacity Situation?

On April 9, two SRVUSD Board Members, President Greg Marvel and Clerk Bill Clarkson, spoke at a Town Hall meeting at Live Oak Elementary to answer community questions. Over 100 residents filled the MPR to hear their responses and the meeting ended with a Q&A session. Furthermore, since March 2006, Superintendent Kessler has been willing to listen to community concerns and he has made every effort to include the Windemere residents in the planning and discussion process. Once the District learned there would be 46 kindergarten students on the wait list at Live Oak, Assistant Superintendent Brown and her staff worked quickly to open an extra kindergarten class for Fall 2008. In addition, the facilities department rapidly implemented a few of the residents’ suggestions, such as the online survey and distributed survey flyers to preschools in the area. Our community greatly appreciates all the hard work and efforts put forth by the District, but we feel the District is like the little Dutch boy: merely using his fingers to plug holes here and there in the leaky dam. Until we know how much water the dam holds (or how many preschoolers live in the DV), how can the District effectively plan for the future?

Why the Grassroots Movement to Publicize the Survey?

Currently the SRVUSD’s main priorities are dealing with the State’s budget cuts, so the community is taking the initiative to assist with publicity and extra distribution coverage of the round-up flyers. In the past, the District has relied upon possibly outdated projections to estimate the number of preschoolers. Many of the DV parents planned ahead and moved here when our children were still toddlers because of the excellent reputation of the schools. We strongly believe it’s in our children’s best interest for the District to do the same and plan ahead for future elementary school capacity needs.We want to do everything possible to ensure the District has a ballpark figure of the number of preschoolers currently living in the DV. Therefore, we would appreciate the media’s help in disseminating the information below:

The School District is conducting a Preschool Round-Up for all children ages 0-4 residing in the Dougherty Valley. During the months of April and May, Facilities staff will be collecting information from parents to assist in projecting the number of students entering Kindergarten at Coyote Creek, Hidden Hills, Live Oak, and Quail Run Elementary Schools in the Fall of 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012.

Please participate via the online survey by visiting the SRVUSD website at www.srvusd.net

Click on the “Pre-School Round-up!” link under the “News and Announcements” heading in the left-hand column. If you would like to printout a hard copy for distribution, there’s an online printable pdf as well.

To go directly to the online survey, please visit:
http://survey.srvusd.k12.ca.us/survey/TakeSurvey.asp?SurveyID=552

How Can I Learn More About This Situation?

Please see the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on the next page or join the Yahoo! group at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/windemereowners/

School District Preschool Round-up Survey FAQ

Q: Who should participate and when is the deadline?
A: Dougherty Valley residents with children ages 0-4 years old are requested to complete the SRVUSD’s Pre-School Round-up Survey during the months of April and May. Facilities staff will collect information from parents to assist in projecting the number of students entering Kindergarten at Coyote Creek, Hidden Hills, Live Oak and Quail Run Elementary Schools in the Fall of 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012.

Q: Do I live in the Dougherty Valley?
A: Everyone residing in the 94582 zip code is considered a DV resident.

Q: Why should I participate?
A: Overcapacity in DV elementary schools has been an on-going problem since 2003 at Coyote Creek, Hidden Hills and most recently, Live Oak, which had 192 participants in a kindergarten lottery for 150 spots. 4–8 years ago, when some Hidden Hills and Coyote Creek residents first moved into the area, they NEVER imagined being in a lottery situation— yet their oldest children are currently on the kindergarten wait lists for Fall 2008. Even if your older child is already enrolled in a DV school and the younger one will receive sibling priority, these children STILL need to be accounted for since they will fill a kindergarten space. By completing either the online survey or mail-in survey, your information will provide more accurate data so the District can better estimate future capacity needs.

Q: How do I determine which year my child will start kindergarten?
A: Please note that these are just general guidelines and parents know their children’s capabilities best.

Child’s Birthdate Year to Begin Kindergarten
December 3, 2003–December 2, 2004 Fall 2009
December 3, 2004–December 2, 2005 Fall 2010
December 3, 2005–December 2, 2006 Fall 2011
December 3, 2006–December 2, 2007 Fall 2012

Q: What if I decide to hold my child back a year before entering kindergarten?
A: That is perfectly fine because the year you record on the survey is NOT set in stone. The District recognizes that as the time actually approaches for your child to begin Kindergarten, you may decide to hold your child back a year. This is why the survey also requests your child’s birthdate.

Q: Why does overcapacity already exist in our new elementary schools?
A: The Dougherty Valley schools capacity was estimated based upon projected student generation factors (SGF)* of:

Grade Levels Single family Multi family
K-5th grades 0.519 0.079
6th-8th grades 0.172 0.058
9th-12th grades 0.187 0.087

The District’s original projections assumed an average of about 0.4-0.7 student per household would be attending K-12th grade during any given year. *Data taken from Table 7.2-2: Projected Enrollment in San Ramon from the San Ramon General Plan 2020 – pages 4-5 from online link http://www.ci.san-ramon.ca.us/gprc/images/chap7.pdf

Q: How can I help with the DV community’s grassroots efforts?
A: 1) Forward the online link to everyone you know who lives in Windemere, Gale Ranch or the Bridges:
http://survey.srvusd.k12.ca.us/survey/TakeSurvey.asp?SurveyID=552
2) Printout hard copies of the survey flyer and drop them off at your children’s extracurricular activities, preschools, play groups, etc.
3) Talk to parents around your neighborhood and at the parks and encourage them to participate.
4) Join the Yahoo! group to keep informed about the issues:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/windemereowners/
5) Please contact DV1voice@yahoo.com if you'd like to help.

Thank you very much.
We greatly appreciate your help.

Doug Burr Revamps Traffic Safety Initiatives

A group of San Ramon residents, led by Doug Burr were seeking to have the city of San Ramon add 11 stop signs in the Windemere neighborbood and reduce the speeds to 30 miles an hour for all of Windemere and East Branch Parkways.

The city was suing Doug for not having a separate initiative for every single stop sign and for their assessment that the speed limit initiative would have been unconstitutional under state law for police using radar to enforce speed limits in those areas affected by the speed limit initiative.

However, when the state's highest court declined to review a similar "pre-election challenge", it would have required Mr. Burr going to a full trial and costing him a lot of money.

Burr and hundreds of other residents feel that the "Windermere neighborhoods are unsafe, with poorly planned intersections." Contra Costa Times

Burr would like to add a scaled back initiative with just four stop signs near Hidden Hills Elementary School.

Read the history of the Windemere Stop Signs and Speed Limit Initiatives.

Speed Limits Set Higher in Windemere

The San Ramon City Council passed an ordinance increasing the speed limits on Albion Road, East Branch Parkway, Monarch Road and Windemere Parkway.

• 30 MPH on Albion Road, from Bollinger Canyon Road to Windemere Parkway.
• 40 MPH on East Branch Parkway, from Bollinger Canyon Road to Windemere Parkway.
• 40 MPH on Monarch Road, from Bollinger Canyon Road to Dougherty Road,
• 40 MPH on Windemere Parkway, from Bollinger Canyon Road to East Branch Parkway.

Doug Burr, who has brought two proposed initiatives to include stop signs and a speed limit of 30 MPH for all of Windemere Parkway and East Branch Parkway spoke out against the increased 40 MPH speed limits on these roads. Doug reported that other cities have implemented exactly what his initiatives are to reduce speeds and make it safer for the children. Doug asked the City Council to vote against the 40 MPH increase in speeds indicating that setting the speed limits higher will likely result in even higher speeds in the future.

City Staff reported that because a traffic study showed that the average speeds are currently above the 30 MPH speed limits (45.8 miles per hour on Wiindemere Parkway and 40.17 miles per hour on East Branch Parkway based on the traffic study) that setting the speed limits at 30 MPH would make it unenforceable by the police using radar according to state law. According to staff, the 85'th percentile speed is set in 5 mph increments, rounded to the nearest 5 mph. The City Traffic Engineer has the discretion to lower the rounded 85'th percentile speed by 5 miles per hour. If the posted speed limit is not based on an Engineering and Traffic Survey, then the roadway is considered a speed trap and unenforceable by radar in the State of California.

Areas within 500 ft of schools would still have a 25 mph school zone, but only when children are present. There is a legislative proposal that would increase the area to include 1000 ft where schools are present. City staff is also formulating increased coverage for parks and recreation areas to also be included in the 25 mph zones, but only when children are present. This would have to be voted on by City Council to incorporate this into the entire City of San Ramon Parks and Recreation areas.

Doughery Valley Traffic Signals are being planned for many of the intersections on Windemere Parkway and East Branch Parkway. According to the Traffic Signal Engineer, lights can be timed to allow for a smooth flow of traffic through the area with lights timed in waves to any speed limit desired.

While traffic lights are in fact generally designed to facilitate the smooth flow of traffic, they are not exactly an effective measure for reducing speeds.

Under a coordinated control system for synchronizing the signals speed is self-regulated; drivers traveling too fast will arrive on a red indication and end up stopping, drivers traveling too slowly will not arrive at the next signal in time to utilize the green indication. In synchronized systems, however, drivers will often use excessive speed in order to "make" as many lights as possible. (See traffic lights)

It is also important to note that the scheduled opening in the spring of 2008 of Windemere Parkway to Camino Tassajara connection will significantly increase traffic on the roadway, and is anticipated that speeds will increase once that occurs.

Feel free to submit your news stories for publication consideration. Read the introduction to the San Ramon Tribune Newspaper for information.

Stop The Lawsuit Now!

Stop the Lawsuit
Email
citycouncil@sanramon.ca.gov

Hi, my name's Doug Burr, and I live in San Ramon, California.

Eighteen months ago, the principal of this school (Hidden Hills School, San Ramon) asked me to help and get some stop signs in front of the school so our kids would be safe when they walk to school.

So, I asked the city, and they said no. So, I wrote an initiative to put on the ballot, and let the voters decide. Well, the city sued to stop me, and I think that's wrong.

I think democracy is what makes this the greatest country in the world. And I'd like to ask this entire country to e-mail Mayor Wilson and the San Ramon City Council, and ask them to stop the lawsuit.

God Bless America

www.stopsignsinwindemere.com

Send in your articles for publication consideration to the San Ramon Tribune. Read the introduction to the San Ramon Tribune Newspaper.

30,000 Cars Per Day By Year End!

The County Master Plan estimates 30,000 cars per day; the posted speed signs will change to 45 miles an hour when the connection to Camino Tassajara is opened by the end of this year.

The cities of Danville and Dublin are putting pressure on the County to open the connection sooner to move their traffic onto San Ramon streets. Commuters from Livermore to Walnut Creek are expected to take Camino Tassajara to Windemere Parkway to Bollinger to avoid the 580/680 interchange.

Camino Tassajara/Blackhawk residents are expected to use East Branch Parkway (in front of Windemere Ranch Middle School) to avoid the evening backup on 580. They will remove the stop sign on East Branch at Arlington Way.

Stop Signs In Windemere NOW!

What are we asking for? Stop signs at 11 intersections and 30 miles an hour posted for all of Windemere Parkway and East Branch Parkway! Windemere Parkway is classified as a regional collector like Bollinger Canyon Rd. Every intersection on both of those roads has either stop signs or traffic lights. The majority of intersections on Windemere Parkway have no traffic control.	What else are we asking for? The Mayor and the San Ramon City Council must act! We want the City Council to pass an ordinance stating the stop signs will be installed and the posted speed signs changed to 30 miles an hour. We want this prior to the City of San Ramon taking control of Windemere Parkway. Waiting until the City of San Ramon has jurisdiction is a delaying tactic. The Council will want the transportation department to do a traffic study. The result of the study will be that a road designed for 55 miles an hour traffic should be posted at 45 miles an hour and have the current configuration of traffic lights. The county has already done the study. (see new info below) This is a political decision, not a traffic department decision.
Join us at: www.stopsignsinwindemere.com

Update and new information: The county is no longer planning on raising the speed limit to 45 mph, it is the City that plans to raise the speed limit to 40 mph.

Submit your San Ramon articles and information to the San Ramon Tribune for publication consideration.

San Ramon Sues Their Own Residents

San Ramon, CA
The City of San Ramon has sued to stop Doug Burr, resident of San Ramon, for bringing forth the Stop Signs and Speed Limits Windemere Initiatives, and to prevent the initiatives from being placed on the ballot.

"I just want the children in this neighborhood to walk to school in safety," said Doug. The City Council then voted in closed session to authorize the lawsuits.

Doug Burr spoke at a previous City Council meeting in September 2007, requesting that the City Council take action and support a resolution which would keep the speed limit on Windemere Parkway and East Branch Parkway at 30 mph instead of the County's plans to increase it to 45 mph. (see new information update below)

Windemere Public and School Safety ZoneWindemere, San Ramon, CA : Google Interactive Map

Mayor H. Abram Wilson thanked Mr. Burr for bringing this item to the Council's attention and stated that he will forward this item to appropriate City staff to evaluate. The Mayor announced that, "resident safety is of paramount concern to the Council and that this is not a Dougherty Valley problem but a City problem." The Mayor said, "Council will follow the proper procedures so that any action taken will be done legally." Reference.

Look At The Legal Action Taken!

San Ramon City Sues to Stop Safer Streets for Children!

Mayor H. Abram Wilson's "proper procedures" according to a closed session of City Council was to promptly file not one, but two legal lawsuits against Doug Burr for bringing initiatives forward that will reduce the speed thorough a section of Windemere where children go to school. The proposed initiatives include reducing the speed limit back down to 30 mph and the placing of a number of stop signs in the residential neighborhood where parks and Hidden Hills Elementary School are located.

The City "maintains that the initiatives are invalid because it 'embraces more than one issue' to wit: establishing a speed limit of 30 miles per hour on Windermere Parkway in the Windemere Development; and, establishing a speed limit of 30 miles per hour on East Branch Parkway in the Windermere Development."

Doug Burr disagrees with the City's legal conclusions and maintains "that the Proposed Initiative does not 'embrace more than one issue.'"

The city is taking the same tact with the stop signs initiative, and filed a second lawsuit against Doug on the stop signs initiative.

So, the City wants a judicial determination and is suing Dour Burr for a judicial declaration of invalidity on the initiatives, for costs of the suits (each suit estimated to be over $25,000 in damages to the City), and for any other further relief as the Court deems just and proper; as a way of preventing him, or any others from getting the petition on the ballot. (Speed Lawsuit and Stop Signs Lawsuit PDFs)

Doug has set up a Winderemer website with more information about the Stop Signs in Windemere at www.stopsignsinwindemere.com.

Here is what the residents of Windemere want.

Stop signs at 11 intersections and 30 miles an hour posted for all of Windemere Parkway and East Branch Parkway!

Windemere Parkway is classified as an arterial like Bollinger Canyon Rd. Every intersection on Bollinger has either stop signs or traffic lights. The majority of intersections on Windemere Parkway have no traffic control.

All of the intersections are in front of schools, on intersections children use to walk to school or in front of parks.

What intersections specifically?

1. East Branch Parkway and Arlington Way (There was a stop sign, it has been removed)
2. South Bellingham Way and Windemere Parkway
3. Silva Way and Windemere Parkway
4. Kearney Way and Windemere Parkway
5. Holborn Way and Windemere Parkway
6. Windside Lane and Windemere Parkway
7. Albion Rd and Harcourt
8. Albion Rd and Silva Way
9. Craiglee Way and Harcourt Way
10. Sherwood Way and Baker Way
11. Sherwood Way and Melbourne Way

San Ramon's Alcosta Blvd., south of Bollinger Canyon Rd., is a good example of what they want. If the City can put stop signs and a 30 mph speed limit there, why can't they put them in Windemere?

The Stop Signs in Windemere website has over a 125 petition signers listed with many more signing up and are outraged by what the City of San Ramon is doing to their own people.

The San Ramon City Council's idea of following the will of the people is to rule them with an Iron Fist.

Is this America or is this Russia during Stalin's reign and bringing the Hammer down on the people, or is it Germany under the reign of Hitler? You be the judge.

Post Your Comments Online

Update and new information: The county is no longer planning on raising the speed limit to 45, it is the City of San Ramon that plans to raise the speed limit to 40.