TRICK OR TREATING AND ENTERTAINMENT AT CASTRO VILLAGE
CASTRO VALLEY FORUM A COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SERVING CASTRO VALLEY SINCE 1989
YEAR 34
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2022
NO. 43
Howard, Raymond, Sachs Vie for Two School Board Seats
INSIDE YOUR
FORUM NEWS
By Michael Singer CASTRO VALLEY FORUM
Laugh Out Loud CV’s first-ever stand-up comedy competition coming to Marketplace
Page 2 NEWS
All that Glitters Yarnal Jewelers has been a Castro Valley gem for over 12 years
PHOTOS BY MICHAEL SINGER
Page 3 NEWS
Pumpkin Spice It’s not a trick when we say that you’ll love these pumpkin spice treats
Page 6
INDEX Calendar .................. 4 Classified Ads ....... 12 Coupons .................. 6 Crosswords ........... 13 Homes .................... 8 Obituaries ............ 15 Opinions .............. 15 Our Town ................. 3 Sports ................... 16 Weather ................. 2 WWW.MYCVFORUM.COM
Castro Valley is abuzz with preparations for this year's Halloween celebrations. Merchants at Castro Village Shopping Center and Castro Valley Marketplace will be handing out treats to revelers on Halloween during the day on Monday, October 31 from 3-6 p.m. The Village association will also be hosting a children’s concert and live entertainment near Vitality Bowls. East Bay Regional Parks will be launching a special Spooktacular Fall Chabot Queen Tour around Lake Chabot for all ages on Sunday, October 30th starting at 12:30 p.m. The Castro Valley Library will continue its Trick or Treat Bag Decorating and Halloween DIY Photo Booth this week and is hosting a special Pajama Storytime for the little ones on Halloween at 7:00 p.m.
Castro Valley voters have three choices to fill two seats for the District Board of Trustees next month. And while the effects of the COVID pandemic remain, those sitting on the Board next year will likely turn their gaze to improving student achievement, maximizing equity, and providing transparent budgeting. On the ballot are incumbent Gary Howard, attorney and child advocate Sara Raymond, and former Chief Financial Officer of KIPP and former finance head of The Khan Academy Tina Sachs. All three candidates have the endorsements of community leaders, current CVUSD board members, and teachers.
Student Achievement According to a California Department of Education report released this month, Castro Valley saw 68.4% of all its public school students meet or exceed English Language standards (nearly unchanged since 2019). Math scores, however, took a 5.5% dip to 57.7% this year, down from 63.2% in 2019. Howard notes he spent his current tenure on the Board looking for ways to close the achievement gap with special concerns for groups who have traditionally scored lower. “One exciting step has been to move to a standards-based grading system,” Howard told the Forum. “Students are given credit for the standards that they have truly mastered (even see SEATS on page 11
MAC Resumes Virtual Meetings, Express Frustration The next scheduled meeting will be focused on Land Use items on Monday, November 14 followed by a general topic In-person meetings of the meeting on November 21. Both Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) are will be virtual. Since the pandemic, expected to resume in January with a virtual component—but MAC meetings have been via teleconference only, and at its Monday night meeting, the MAC continued to express though the county has said they’ll eventually embrace a its frustration with delays in getting off Zoom and back in model which would allow for both in-person meetings at the flesh. the Castro Valley Library and Despite its complaints, the MAC unanimously approved options to participate via Zoom or phone—the MAC says the an extension of the current see MAC on page 11 remote teleconferencing policy. By Amy Sylvestri
CASTRO VALLEY FORUM