Anesthesiologist differs with Domanico account
Dr. Robert S. Spears
I am one of those anesthesiologists who was forced out of El Camino Hospital last year. Lee Domanico stated (March 2 Town Crier) that we were charging excessively high rates. This is untrue. Our rates were right in line with the local market.
He also stated that he and his administration asked our group two or three times to return and we refused. Again this is absolutely not the case. We contacted him multiple times over that weekend with the offer of having a mediator brought in to help and never heard one word back from either Domanico or the El Camino Hospital board.
Domanico stated that our group “walked out” with only 48 hours notice, and this is just not the case. He told us in our last meeting with him that he already had a group ready to take our place and could have them there in 48 hours. We told him we would provide coverage until that time.
Domanico has continued to misrepresent our position to his best advantage, and you folks in the press seem more than happy to assist him.
Constructive debate over pathways
Bart Carey
I’m glad the Town Crier provided coverage of the Los Altos Hills Planning Commission meeting on Feb. 10 in which our updated pathways map was reviewed. While it was impressive that HP interim CEO Robert Wayman was present at the meeting, it was no less impressive that dozens of other town residents expressed their views regarding our pathways system, some of them waiting nearly six hours to speak in front of the planning commission.
The recent planning commission meeting was an example of constructive debate by many town residents and town government regarding an issue central to our community. During the lengthy meeting, many residents expressed concerns about pathways near their homes, while others stressed that pathways are a resource which should be preserved for the community.
The updating of our pathways map is a milestone accomplishment for our residents. Particular gratitude should go to members of the Pathways Committee whose innumerable hours of work over more than a year have brought us to the verge of an updated Master Pathway Plan, pending the town council meeting on March 8.
ID theft can be easily prevented
Dinesh Desai
I was saddened to read about how a stolen check cost former LA Police Chief Lucy Carlton her savings and identity (Feb. 23 Town Crier). For many years, thieves have been stealing outgoing mail placed by homeowners in their mailboxes. Luckily, this type of theft can be easily prevented by depositing all outgoing mail only in USPS mailboxes.
In the case of Carlton, the incoming mail of her niece, whom she had sent a check along with a birthday card, appears to have been stolen. One has no way of making sure that a mailed check will not fall into the wrong hands.
However, there is something we can do to safeguard our checks. When you write your checks, use gel pens such as Uniball Gel impact instead of regular pens. The thieves are able to erase most inks, but gels are an exception. I personally have done “laundering” experiments and found the process easy except when the checks were written with gel pens.
‘No. 1′ school district has failed Bullis
Nancy Kelem
In her letter regarding Bullis Charter School (Feb. 16), Peggy Rutner asked, “What on earth would possess” her to send her children to “a new, untested school with God knows what curriculum” instead of to “the No. 1 school district in the state.”
Here are some reasons we want Bullis back:
1. Neighborhood schools weave our children into the social fabric of our neighborhoods. Children discover their villages. Parents support their schools by volunteering. The less accessible a school is, the less we are woven in. It takes the child’s village to raise a child, not the village on the other side of the expressway.
2. California is among the worst states in test scores and school funding. Our schools should do far better than “best of the worst” scores. We still don’t know how the scores of Los Altos School District compare to those of similarly affluent communities elsewhere in the country.
3. There’s more to education than test scores.
4. Individualized instruction in the classroom is a plus.
5. Los Altos School District has benefited financially from Los Altos Hills children’s flight to private schools. A shameful 40 percent of Los Altos Hills children attend private school. A charter school was a way to create an excellent public school.
6. Although few could walk to Bullis-Purissima, almost everyone had a short, calm drive in light traffic. Last school year we lost our civilized mornings.
7. Los Altos and Los Altos Hills children are supporting too many tutoring companies. Our public schools should reduce the need for after-school tutoring.
Almond kindergartners have great PE program
Marta Rauch
As the parent of a kindergartner at Almond School and a former high school teacher, I enjoyed Leslie Lodestro’s article “Kindergartners getting a kick out of kung fu” (Jan. 19).
I want to add some information about the Almond School kindergarten physical education program.
This outstanding program is run by a talented and dedicated volunteer coordinator, Martha Gomez-Gibson, who prepares structured PE lesson plans that draw upon Los Altos School District curriculum guidelines. She also coordinates a team of extremely dedicated parent volunteers who provide a safe and organized program.
Under Gomez-Gibson’s direction, the Almond kindergartners participate in a wide range of exciting, enjoyable and age-appropriate activities that build physical fitness through developing balance, strength, stamina, flexibility and coordination.
This program is well organized and varied, while teaching cooperation and competitive team play. It also includes standardized tests of physical achievement that assess each student’s progress in such areas as flexibility and stamina. In this era of shrinking budgets and expanding waistlines, we are fortunate to have such a valuable resource for our kindergartners.
