Albany voters will be asked to consider two parcel tax measures on November 3 aimed at saving Albany schools from the state’s worst financial crisis in half a century.

The Measures I and J would restore less than half the money the state took away from Albany’s school district this year. However, they would keep Albany schools from a rapid deterioration by paying for a number of the academic programs and teaching services that Albany is holding onto with virtual band-aids and shoe-string this year.

For the current year, the district is using 2009 federal Stimulus program grants of $1.2 million to fund some programs. That money won’t be available next year. It’s also using donations from Albany parents and citizens. Although those donations poured in at a record-breaking amount this year, they still added up to only a fraction of the $4.2 million the state took away from Albany in its education budget.

So in many ways, Measures I and J are a referendum on whether the community wants to preserve the kind of education Albany has had or let it slide downhill, many believe.

“I feel that I cannot stand by and watch the quality of education in Albany sink along with the state budget,” said Miriam Walden, a parent and board of education member who is leading the Measures I and J campaign.

Buoyed by the thought that Albany can bypass the troubles experienced in other school districts by passing the parcel tax measures — and by fear of what would happen if Albany does not get this funding — dozens of volunteers for the Measures I and J campaign have been out canvassing neighborhoods in recent weeks talking to people about the two measures. Last weekend, the volunteers visited 850 homes, bringing to 1,500 the number of front porch conversations or visits that have been had about Measures I and J in recent weeks.

Measures I is an emergency tax of $149 a year per house or residence. It is designed to get Albany schools through the current crisis by lasting five years.

Measure J is not a new tax. It would renew an existing tax that is set to expire in a few years and thereby stabilize funding by keeping all past parcel taxes on the books. It also provides an exemption for seniors and low-income residents. (Go to www.savealbanyschools.org for more information)

“The message we need to send about supporting public education is not to a state legislature that won’t respond. It’s to our kids and to our teachers. And we’re the only ones who can deliver it. I’m voting yes on I and J,” said Bob Menzimer, one of the volunteers.

Marla Stephenson, superintendent of the Albany Unified School District, has said that renewing the existing parcel taxes is absolutely crucial if Albany is to maintain the level of educational offerings and quality it now is holding onto so tenuously. That is because as the state has withdrawn money from education, Albany and other districts have used parcel taxes to fund core programs, rather than extras, and to hold classroom sizes at teachable amounts. Still this year, classes in Albany schools are more crowded than they have been in a generation. Stephenson said Albany needs the emergency tax, Measure I, if it is to hold on to the quality that people have come to expect of Albany schools.

“Those parcel taxes are essential to the running of the school system,” Stephenson said at an Albany Board of Education meeting last summer when the parcel tax was being decided. She said if the renewal measure doesn’t pass “we will go back to the voters again and again until it does” because Albany desperately needs those funds.

If measure J does not pass, there would be a $2.5 million hole in the budget in addition to whatever reductions the state may or may not pass. The emergency tax, Measure I, would bring in $1.2 million. A committee of volunteers and the board of education determined last summer that to seek more than this amount would be too burdensome on some Albany residents. The committee did a research survey of a few hundred homes to see what level of a parcel tax most people would be comfortable with. They arrived at $149 a year instead of $200 or $250 because the recession is already putting stress on people’s pocket books. Stephenson said restoring all cut programs would cost above $250 in new taxes per household.

Measures I and J need a two/thirds majority vote to pass, so the committee felt it was essential that most people were comfortable with the tax.

A number of the volunteers no longer have children in the school system. But as several people said, the quality of Albany schools seem to be what has been holding up property values in Albany.

“Why should we impose this tax burden upon ourselves when prospects are currently so uncertain and funds so scarce? The reason is simple: self-interest. Albany property values far exceed expectations, primarily due to Albany’s commitment to schools,” said Robert Cheasty, an Albany resident whose children are grown and no long in the schools.

He said that while he definitely wants to support the education of children, “Any quick survey shows that those communities that pass school taxes are the communities with the best property values.”

To visit the Albany Unified School District web site go to http://ausd.ca.schoolloop.com

Barbara Grady-Ayer has endorsed and contributed money to the Measures I and J campaigns for Albany schools. She is also a parent of two children in the Albany school system.

Albany received an incredible gift when UC graduate student Linjun Fan decided to set up a news blog about this community for her journalism degree master’s project. AlbanyToday.org became a vehicle for residents to learn about local issues and events. But, alas, Linjun has completed her degree and gone home.

Since January, I had been helping Linjun when I had time by writing education stories and a few business stories. I felt, and still do, that Albany residents need to know about the decisions and issues affecting their community and I admired the journalism experiment Linjun undertook. But I have had only limited hours to give to Albany Today because my real work must take precedent. That continues to be the case and, as you can see, I file stories only once in a while. Although Linjun in her farewell letter optimistically said I would carry on Albany Today, we had only informally discussed that and I had not yet decided. Now, I have another idea – that WE ALL carry it on.

What I’m proposing is to make Albany Today a vehicle of “citizen journalism.” In citizen journalism, people from the community file reports and photographs of events they attend or issues they are aware of. You would file them to me at barbgrady@sbcglobal.net or through the “comments” section on AlbanyToday.org under existing posts. I would act as the gatekeeper and editor; blocking any stories that defame another’s character or which are outright advertising or sensationalism. I most especially encourage city officials and school board members to file reports and have invited Albany Mayor Marge Atkinson to do so. I encourage local artists to file photographs.

Citizen journalism is one of those myriad experimental modes of news gathering that are popping up to replace traditional newspaper reporting. I have mixed thoughts about citizen journalism, but in this case it may be only way that Albany Today can continue.

So, are you ready? I invite you to comment and to then to send potential posts to me at barbgrady@sbclgobal.net.

Thanks for your consideration. And a huge Thank You to Linjun for her creative contribution to our town.

Barbara Grady-Ayer
barbgrady@sbcglobal.net

Linjun Fan and Barbara Grady on a biking trip recently. Barbara will continue working on Albany Today after Linjun returns to China.

Dear Readers,

I’ve finished my studies at the Graduate School of Journalism at UC-Berkeley last month, and am about to go back to my home country China. I am very glad that I’ve served you well with meaningful news stories about the community in the past two years, and thankful for your trust and support of Albany Today.

At the City Council meeting last week, Mayor Marge Atkinson presented me an award, each members of the Council said words of appreciation to my work, and the audience applauded heartily. I was deeply honored and touched. Two years ago when I first arrived at the town from the other side of the globe, I knew not a single person in town. Now I feel I’ve built such great bonds with so many of you here that it’s hard to say goodbye.

The bonds were formed through Albany Today, which I created to hone my journalistic skills originally, and which has now become a vital venue where important issues facing the community are presented and discussed, where fascinating stories and ideas of its members are shared.

All the stories come from you. I just diligently collect them, and try to present them as accurately and fairly as I can. That’s why sometimes I invited you to write or speak directly to the community, when I thought that was the best way to convey your ideas and stories. You might remember that each candidate for the City Council and the School Board elections wrote an article introducing themselves last year, and Albany Today has published dozens of essays and commentaries from a variety of residents.

In this way Albany Today is substantially different from a blog. It’s not about me, but about you.

Besides covering incidents that were of significance to you, I occasionally told you stories which would not normally appear on a newspaper, like a beloved neighbor who suddenly passed away, a school custodian who loves his work, or an amateur artist who built sculptures out of waste. Those stories captivated me, and I thought they might be intriguing to you as well. To my delight, it often turned out to be true.

I have received a number of email messages from you praising my work. Sometimes people whose face I couldn’t recognize would come to me on street and told me how much they appreciated Albany Today. And many of you are supporting my work by regularly sending me information of community events and other news clues.

Two residents contacted me recently asking whether I could write a story about neglected houses in their neighborhood. The problem has existed for years, they said, and they thought that I could help, because a friend told them that I was the person who helped to solve a similar problem in her neighborhood. I was flattered. I knew they talked about the house on Talbot, which was vacant and decaying for more than a decade. The City acted on the issue actively after I wrote about it, and a few months afterwards the owner surprisingly decided to solve the problem by selling the house.

I don’t know for sure whether it was my coverage that made the difference. I was just trying to report truthfully on the issue and follow the event as it unfolded. To avoid a one-sided story and to get the homeowner’s viewpoints, I tried many times to talk to her, and mailed her a letter after she hanged up my phone calls again and again. In retrospect, this effort might have prompted her to take the action, although I didn’t intend to pressure her at all.

It’s hard to know exactly what changes Albany Today has brought to the community. But sometimes I saw it clearly make a difference. For instance, many readers commented on the story about Oscar Rodriguez, a custodian at Albany schools, and one of them said:

“I read the article and was very impressed with the way it was presented. As Oscar’s wife for 20 years I can honestly say I am so proud of him. “

It’s really satisfying to read comments like this. That morning when I watched Oscar carefully clean the Memorial Field, when he told me how much he loved his work, and why he went to talk at a board meeting for the first time, I was moved. I felt compelled to share his story with you.

I also felt that meeting people like Oscar and getting to know their stories had enriched myself. I got to know the community better, and my horizons expanded with each new person I met, and each new story I wrote.

That’s why I have been able to spend countless hours on Albany Today, because I know for sure that my skills are of value, my work makes a difference, and I am being enriched as a reporter and as a person.

This is an extraordinary experience that gives me confidence and strength, as I go back to China to embark on a new journey in journalism. I’ve been hired by Shantou University in south China to teach journalism classes. The journalism program at the University is new and eager for innovation, with a diverse faculty recruited from around the world. I am excited that I will have a great chance to teach college students what I’ve learned, and to inspire them with my belief in journalism. I also plan to build news websites similar to Albany Today, as training grounds for students and service to local communities.

Journalism in China is a sprout that has newly grown out of propaganda in recent years. Despite of the fact that it’s constrained by government censorship and corrupted by commercialism, it is playing an increasingly big role in shaping public opinion and affecting social change. I envision a life-long mission for me to help it flourish.

There is still work on Albany Today I wish I could do before I leave for China. I want to work out some ways to make it stand on solid footing, not just the effort of one individual. I am very glad that Barbara Grady, a veteran reporter and a devoted member of the community, will work on Albany Today after I leave. Some students from my journalism school might also join her in updating the web site.

The major challenge facing us now is to get funding for Albany Today. I applied for some grants but haven’t received any good news. I devised an advertising plan, but did not have enough time or skills to carry it out. It would be great if any of you are interested in taking on the task. Please let me know if you’d like to help.

There is one thing that all of you can do to make the website alive — pay a small amount of subscription, for instance, three dollars a month, to support Albany Today. If a couple of hundred of you are willing to do so, there is a good chance that the website will continue to serve the community for years to come. Please take a minute to tell me whether you are willing to do so by clicking here and taking part in a polling. Please introduce Albany Today to your neighbors and others who you think would be interested in subscribing. And of course, any amount of donation would be greatly appreciated.

If we could work out ways to sustain the website, Albany will not only have a lasting news website of its own, but also lead the way in exploring new possibilities of news operations. As newspaper companies are crumbling across the country, laying off reporters and cut budget on local news, Albany could demonstrate that communities can take on the challenge ourselves and come up with innovative ways to get good news service.

Some of you might have read the article Journalism students lead way by Neil Henry, the dean at my school, published on the San Francisco Chronicle on the day of my graduation. In the article Neil applauded my work and introduced what the school is doing in applying Albany Today’s successful model to other Bay Area communities. It would be exhilarating if Albany Today could walk further ahead and set an example of how a local news website thrives through support from the community.

I would be truly happy that I’ve left behind a legacy for Albany, if this idea comes true. Please let me know if you’d like to help in any way. Please support the work of Barbara (barbgrady@sbcglobal.net), and the others who will continue Albany Today.

I wish the website could continue to be a cherished place where members of the community get informed, share ideas and stories, and keep records of its memorable events. I wish I could still visit Albany Today from China, and get to know what’s going on in town two years , or even twenty years from now.

Please help to make this valuable community asset alive.

Yours, sincerely,

Linjun Fan

linjun9913@gmail.com

You might also want to check out a fascinating article on San Francisco Magazine about what lessons could be learned from Albany Today:

Newspapers are dead. Long live journalism!

By Nina Martin

ALBANY, CA—In case you haven’t heard, these are desperate times in the news business. But if you live in Albany, the past 18 months have been a golden age of civic journalism, and the woman to thank is Chinese-born grad student Linjun Fan.

Fan hearts Albany.   Click here to read the full story.

I have been travelling in South Asia since the beginning of the month and am now writing to you from Mumbai, India. Barbara Grady-Ayer, a former staff reporter at Oakland Tribune, is covering news stories in town during my absence.

Barbara has produced excellent works for several news organizations for decades. She is also an Albany resident and a dedicated member in the community — a primary reason why she has joined Albany Today.

She has written two stories which were published on Albany Today recently. I am very glad that she has made such wonderful contribution to the news website. I will work with Barbara to continue serving you with quality news stories once I am back in town next week.

Best regards,

Linda (Linjun) Fan

Unlike a traditional news publication, Albany Today provides an opportunity for all members of the community to freely express their opinions by posting comments under news articles. A comment would appear automatically on the website once it’s submitted. Most of readers cherish this open forum and post comments with their real names. However, quite a number of comments have been made anonymously recently, especially on controversial issues such as Kay Sorg’s case.

I believe in open discussion and free exchange of information. But it is not acceptable that some people take advantage of the open forum to violate laws, attack other readers, and  issue irresponsible remarks with their names concealed.

For instance, one anonymous person violated copyright laws by posting a full newspaper article  in his comment yesterday. This will bring legal problems to Albany Today. As the administrator of the website, I have to take actions against such irresponsible behavior.  

We are all accountable for what we say in public.  A citizen needs to identify himself before he speaks at public meetings, thus we are confident that he will be accountable for his words.

We take pride in Albany being a close community and in our respect to each other. It is undesirable for a person to attack other people with his identity covered up. It is unfair to the readers who publish their real name and make sensible arguments.

Therefore the comments posted on Albany Today without a real name will be subject to deletion from now on.

Let’s cherish the open forum, be responsible for what we say, and respect each other.

Best regards,

Linda (Linjun) Fan

As some of you might know, Albany Today was started by me as a class project a year ago to explore the new possibilities of journalism in the digital era.

It has become a reliable and respected news source for hundreds of people in the community in the past year, through its timely, lively, and fair coverage of major issues in town.

Now more than 2,000 Albany residents visit the website weekly, and more than 500 visit it daily.

Albany Today connects and informs the community with colorful coverage of  local activities, in-depth probing into various issues of public concern, and comprehensive reporting on the recent election. It serves also as a forum for members of the community to express their opinions and listen to others.

Its remarkable success has inspired my school, the Graduate School of Journalism of at UC-Berkeley, to launch similar news websites for several other San Francisco Bay communities, such as Oakland North and El Cerrito Focus.

Now Albany Today is putting forward an advertising plan to help local businesses and community groups reach residents, and in the meantime, to look for ways to keep its own news service sustainable.

It offers sidebar banner spots for $15 – $50 per month, and gives discounts to all Albany local businesses.  Non-profit community groups will get free banner service for the month of November, and half-price afterwards.

Please click here for more information, and contact Tod Abbott   510 527-9920 , tod@AlmostEverythingWeb.com, if you have any questions. Tod is an Albany resident as well as the Executive Director of Albany Chamber of Commerce. He has built a convenient system for you to order the service and pay for it directly on the Internet. Click here to try it out. 

Through the plan, Albany local businesses will find an effective way to promote their businesses among local residents, and Albany Today could be able to serve you with valuable news and information in the long term. 

I’d also like to tell you that I don’t handle the business operations of the website, in order to maintain my neutrality as a reporter and to provide you with independent news stories.

Please help to pass the word around and support Albany Today, as well as businesses and non-profit groups in our community.

Best wishes,

Linda (Linjun) Fan

You might know that I have been following Ms. Kay Sorg’s case and written about it for about a year now. I disclosed some new information in the most recent story Hearing of Sorg’s sexual offense case centers on letters, including the names of two witnesses, who used to be students at Albany schools.

But I didn’t include the name of the accuser and the first name of her father. The attorneys of the case concealed the names in their court papers. However, I’ve got them through research of public records.

I am not sure whether it’s proper to publish the name or not. I’ve consulted lawyers who told me that it’s legal to publish the names. And my journalism ethics professor said that he thought it proper to publish the name, since the accuser is no longer a minor. (She should be around 30 now.)

I’d like to know how you feel about it, and whether you think it appropriate to publish their names, and then make a decision. Please write down your response below or email it to linjun9913@berkeley.edu.

I appreciate your time and thoughts.

Best regards,

Linda (Linjun) Fan

As some of you might have noticed, Albany Today has changed its URL from www.albanytoday.wordpress.com into www.albanytoday.org recently. Yes, it has moved into a new house with better functions. Unfortunately a few comments from you on the latest posts have been lost in switching from the old server to a new one.

For instance, the comments on the election candidates and Solano Stroll don’t show up on the current site anymore. Therefore I’d like you to post them again, so people can still get to read them.

And I encourage you to post more comments. Take the advantage of Albany Today’s interactive functions. Through it you could share ideas and information with thousands of members of the community. The website has filters against spams, but comments from you would never be deleted.

I want to thank Andrew Austin especially, who wrote to me after one of his comments got lost. Thank you, Andrew, for posting the comment and writing to me about your concerns at losing the comment.

Best regards,

Linda (Linjun)