Peninsular Thinking

News this week that Angelina Jolie has had a preemptive double mastectomy shines a spotlight on BCRA1, the defective gene that puts carriers at high risk to develop breast and ovarian cancer.

According to NBC News, Jolie, 37, revealed on Tuesday that she carries the BRCA1 gene and that she had mastectomies in February on her otherwise healthy breasts. In April she had reconstructive surgery, Dr. Kristi Funk said in an interview with The Associated Press.

According to an article in the New York Times, some breast cancer experts feel that Jolie’s revelation will carry a lot of weight in influencing women to become fully informed about BCRA1.

I thought this would be a good time to reprise a post from March, 2012 on Justine Avery, a South Kitsap grad and the daughter of county Assessor Jim Avery. Justine also carries the gene, and she documented her decision to undergo prophylactic mastectomy in a personal blog. Here’s Justine’s story again.

SKHS grad makes preemptive strike against breast cancer
March 13th, 2012 by Chris Henry

Justine Avery is tired of living with a ticking time bomb. Avery, who carries the BRCA1 genetic mutation, has an 85 percent chance of developing breast cancer. The disease killed her mother Sandy Avery, first wife of Kitsap County Assessor Jim Avery, in 1989, when Justine was 9. So Justine has decided to get a prophylactic (preventative) bi-lateral (both sides) mastectomy.

The date of the surgery, Thursday, has been set for some time. Justine has approached the impending procedure with courage and a sense of humor. A 1999 South Kitsap High School graduate who lives with her husband Rob Sands and works in Seattle, Justine was feted by friends at a recent “Ta Ta to the Ta Ta’s” party. Her BFFs who put it together “made a very naughty cake.”

“I’m very supportive of it. I think it’s a very wise thing to do,” Jim Avery said of Justine’s decision.

Justine, who also has a 40 percent chance of developing ovarian cancer, has kept friends and family up to speed with a blog. Part of her motivation in going public with such a private matter is that she has been part of two studies on genetic predisposition toward ovarian cancer, and she hopes to raise funds for the Marsha Rivkin Center and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Because of the research, high-risk women like her can get free screenings twice a year, something not covered by insurance.

Justine’s raised nearly $4,000 toward a goal of $10,000. That’s not counting about $2,000 raised from the Ta-ta party, with part of the donations coming from the sale of ta-ta-tinis … two olives. The support of friends and acquaintances — some of whom she hasn’t talked to in years — means a lot.

“It’s kind of made me feel at peace with my decision,” she said. “It’s kind of made me realize that what I’m doing is the right thing. It’s the right decision.”

More importantly, Justine said, she wants to share information with and offer support to other women who may have the gene, or who like her have already been tested and face some tough choices. Justine is not telling others what to do. On the blog, she simply shares the back story of her bold decision.

Her mother was diagnosed at age 38 (Justine is now 31). “I don’t remember a time when my mother wasn’t ill,” Justine said. And yet that didn’t stop Sandy Avery from living a full life. “It was always in the background. She was a wonderful mom with a great spirit. The cancer didn’t stop her, up until the last hour. She was a great mom.”

The aggressive cancer spread to other organs, and Sandy Avery died after six years of rigorous treatment. Other family members who developed cancer were her aunt, who survived breast cancer diagnosed in her 40s but later died of ovarian cancer, and her cousin, diagnosed in her 30s, who is a cancer survivor.

After her cousin’s diagnosis, some members of the family were tested for the “breast cancer gene” and found a positive link. Justine’s older sister, who escaped the BRCA1 gene, urged her to get tested, but Justine resisted, at least at first.

“Maybe to some degree I have always felt it was only a matter of time before the other shoe dropped,” she wrote on the blog. “Maybe it was because I was sick of the anxiety of going to get my boobs squeezed between two pieces of glass once a year and I figured that if I didn’t have the gene, I would not have to revisit this for at least another 12 years; or maybe it was to shut everyone up already…. Regardless, I truly believe the decision I made 3 years ago at the age of 28 is going to save my life.”

Justine is quick to point out that cancer caused by the gene is relatively rare. “Only 7 percent of breast cancers are caused by a genetic mutation (BRCA1 and BRCA2). If someone in your family has been diagnosed with breast cancer, it most likely means they are part of the other 93 percent. It’s when you see patterns of early diagnosis that you should start to consider genetic testing.”

Justine’s gut reaction to the whole situation: “This sucks! … Up and down for sure. I’m dealing with the suckiness of it all. I have a wonderful family who has helped me sift through the decisions I’ve been confronted with.”

Justine outlines the choices facing women who test positive for the gene. The first is vigilance in the form of frequent mammograms, MRIs, blood tests and ultrasounds.

“I am so thankful for the constant screening. My mom didn’t have the opportunities I have. But to be honest I’m getting tired of it,” she wrote.

The second option involves a five-year course of a chemotherapy drug called Tamoxifen, which results in early (and temporary) menopause, cutting her cancer risk in half.

“The last option may seem ‘radical’ to some: a bilateral prophylactic mastectomy. In other words, amputation of my precious boobies, because they will most likely kill me. I have chosen the latter of the three.”

Back to the time bomb analogy, there’s a 15 percent chance that, like on the cartoons, a little white flag saying “boom!” will pop put of the bomb, all that worry for nothing. But there’s really only one way for Justine to control the outcome and avoid a diagnosis she calls “unacceptable.”

“I still am haunted by the fact that I’m cutting off two perfectly normal (and quite lovely I might add) breasts for something I ‘may’ get,” she wrote. “But here’s the thing, ‘may’ in this circumstance means an 85 percent chance … That also means I only have a 15 percent chance of not getting it. I will sit at a craps or blackjack table for hours but I would never play those odds.”

Justine wants to have children and so is delaying a decision on removing her ovaries at this time. She knew you’d want to know.

According to Justine’s oncologist, about 50 percent of women with her type of family history elect prophylactic mastectomies, and about 80 percent get hysterectomies once they are done having children.

Since genetic screening has only recently become more common among families with a strong background of breast/ovarian cancer, Justine hopes writing about her experiences will help other women navigate this new frontier in women’s medicine.

“I am actually the first one in my family who is ‘choosing’ to do this preventatively. It can feel lonely sometimes,” she wrote. “This is my way of not only documenting this time for those in my family that may come later, but also helping to create awareness of breast cancer.”

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Our story on the rally ran last night. Organizers plan a larger rally for 4 p.m. Wednesday (May 22), starting at South Kitsap High School, with a march to the district office. Students in charge are Gabrielle Wagner, ASB president, and Vincent Bachteler, a “passionate Wolf.”

C. Henry, reporter

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Some students at South Kitsap High School had planned a walk-out protest of the district’s plans to eliminate 68 positions, including 61 teachers’ jobs, Principal Jerry Holsten said Monday.

Holsten’s comments confirmed some chatter the Kitsap Sun heard via its Facebook page earlier in the day.

“Yes, we heard about something this morning,” Holsten said. “We addressed it with staff and with some students, and there was no activity.”

Morale at the high school (and throughout the district) is low, given the school board’s decision last week to make plans for its most sweeping layoffs in recent memory. The students had apparently planned a sympathy strike by walking out on classes.

“We respect and admire our students’ opinions and values, and their interest in having a voice,” Holsten said. “We simply encourage them to present their voice in a different fashion that’s less disruptive to their schools.”

Although the state Legislature plans to pump additional funding into the K-12 education system, the budget is far from finalized. Whether or not some or all of the jobs will be saved is a big unknown.

The board is required by law to notify teachers who will be RIF’d, giving them adequate time to seek other jobs before the next school year. The board on May 8 elected to stick with the regular May 15 deadline (that’s Wednesday), instead of going with an extension to June 15, approved by the Legislature at the end of the regular session. One board member said it was a courtesy to teachers possibly facing layoffs, since June 15 would give them little planning time.

A total of 25 staff members have said they will retire or resign at the end of this year, so the number of proposed layoffs is 43.

The RIF list includes 3.3 administrative FTEs: 1.3 at the district office, an assistant principal at the high school and one elementary school assistant principal.
Also slated for elimination are:
25.5 elementary level teaching positions
22.9 secondary teaching positions
3.0 special educational teachers
8.5 career and technical education teachers
An instructional specialist, part of a school nurse position and 4.088 classified or non-teaching support positions make up the rest of cuts.

To add to the stress, documentation is due this week on the state’s new method of evaluating teachers and principals, called TPEP, for Teacher/Principal Evaluation Project.

“This is tough time for everybody, staff, students, administrators, parents,” Holsten said. “It’s a stressful time when we have to talk about staff reductions. It’s a somber mood, however our staff are great professionals, and they’re making sure it doesn’t affect our students’ education.”

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Here are some events coming up this week in Port Orchard that you may want to take note of.

Candidates workshop, Thursday
The city of Port Orchard will host a candidates workshop from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday at city hall, 216 Prospect St.
Anyone thinking about running for any local elected office can learn about how to file for office, rules for reporting campaign contributions and other information.
Filing week begins Monday. Check the Kitsap Sun on Sunday for a more detailed story on filing week.
For more information, contact the city clerk at (360) 876-4407.

Library renovation fundraiser
Last summer, a new roof. In September, the Port Orchard Library will undergo a major interior renovation.
The library will be closed Aug. 30 through Sept. 30, during construction.
The library will get new carpet, more nooks and crannies in which patrons can read or work on laptops, and repairs on downtrodden features, such as ceiling acoustical tile.
The whole project will cost $100,000, of which roughly $70,000 will come from Kitsap Regional Library’s capital budget. KRL officials have planned for more than a year for the project, according to Kathleen Wilson, branch manager.
The Kitsap Regional Library Foundation will provide up to $10,000, and the Port Orchard Friends of the Library will donate roughly $30,000.
Friends of the Library recently received a $1,000 donation from Kitsap Bank. Fred Meyer earlier donated $5,000. With these large donations, the Friends of the Library is about halfway to its goal.
Friends of the Library will hold a comedy night fundraiser featuring Dwight Slade at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Clubhouse at McCormick Woods, 5155 McCormick Woods Dr. SW. Tickets, at $20 per person, are available through brownpapertickets.com, at the library or at the door.
Donations can be made at any Kitsap Bank branch or at the Port Orchard Library. For information, call 360-876-2224.

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Five performances by Kitsap musicians earned high honors in a statewide competition Friday and Saturday, including two performances that took top prizes.

Nick Stahl from Bainbridge High School took first in the solo soprano-alto saxophone category, outperforming four other competitors.

Shannon O’Brien from Bremerton High School won a solo competition in the vocal-bass category.

Second place winners included a small percussion group from Central Kitsap High School and small vocal group from North Kitsap High School. Kelly Lanzafame from North Kitsap High School took third in the vocal-alto category.

The annual competition happens on the last Friday and Saturday of April and Central Washington University in Ellensburg hosts the event. Contestants from across the state first competed in 22 separate regional contests to qualify for the showcase.

This is, according to one educator, the musical equivalent to athletes taking state.

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The city of Port Orchard allows residents to have up to three dogs and up to three cats per household. Licensed kennels are excluded from the pet limit.

But what about the family who moves into town with more than the allowed number of dogs or cats? Or the family that inherits a pet from a family member who moves into a nursing home or dies?

For those folks, the city offers a “pet variance.” Up to now, getting a variance has been a simple matter of filling out a form to document “hardship.” The city council recently revising the ordinance to factor in the impact of extra pets on neighbors.

The original proposal, discussed at an April 16 work-study meeting, was to require written permission from neighbors on either side of the residence slated for bonus pets.

The council discussed the issue of barking dogs, the most obvious potential source of annoyance. The city’s nuisance ordinance prohibits, “frequent, repetitive or continuous noise made by any animal which unreasonably disturbs or interferes with peace comfort and repose of property owners or possessors …,” Licensed kennels, shelters, vet clinics, pet shops and service dogs are exempted.

Councilman John Clauson pointed out that the number of dogs is not always the issue, when it comes to noise.

“You got five dogs that are little quiet dogs that live in the house, and you never see ‘em, I don’t care if you have 10 of ‘em,” Clauson said. “But you could have one sitting in your backyard that howls all night long, and I’m going to be unhappy.”

City Clerk Brandy Rinearson said the city’s contract with the Kitsap Humane Society covers barking dogs and yowling cats. Animal control officers from KHS are contracted to enforce this part of the city’s nuisance ordinance.

Public Works Director Mark Dorsey said health and sanitation also were concerns in allowing people to have more than three of any type of pet.

According to Rinearson, three was a somewhat arbitrary number set by the council that established the pet variance ordinance in 1999. Some cities have different limits (up to five dogs in one town she knows of); others have no ordinance limiting the number of pets allowed.

The council, after some discussion, decided it would be adequate to simply notify neighbors on either side if someone applies for a pet variance. The notification would come before the variance is approved. Members of the public can comment on any city council agenda item at the start of each meeting.

“My heartburn was we were constantly granting these with no process, and so the neighbors didn’t know,” said Councilman Rob Putaansuu. “So for me it’s about notifying the neighbors. I think you notice the issue so they know this is coming before us, and if they’ve got heartburn with it, here’s an opportunity to come and testify.”

The council agreed to place the amended ordinance on an upcoming agenda for formal approval.

Another “process” gap in the city’s code is how to handle the occasional request from a business for after-hours music and other goings-on. Such a request came before the council in early April, when Amy Igloi of Amy’s on the Bay sought permission to play music on her deck after 11 p.m. (the city’s noise curfew).

The city’s nuisance ordinance prohibits a host of public disturbances between the hours of 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., including the sound of machinery and power tools like lawn mowers, blowers, grinders, drills and power saws. The code bans loud vehicles and music from both inside and outside buildings, along with “yelling, shouting, hooting, whistling or singing on or near the public streets” during those hours.

What’s missing, said City Attorney Greg Jacoby, is “a fair and reasonable process that’s applied consistently regardless of who makes the request.”

The city now issues special event permits, reviewed by staff and approved by the council. Jacoby said the council might choose to roll the music-after-hours requests in with special events.

Several people at the meeting raised the concern about “what if” authorized events became a magnet for complaints either because of mismanagement by the business owner or in spite of their best efforts and intentions.

Rinearson said then-Cmdr. Geoffrey Marti, now Port Orchard’s police chief, suggests that such events be allowed on a one-time basis only, not as recurring events.

Marti said his officers get many complaints about noise after 11 p.m., coming from both inside and outside Bay Street establishments.

Two city residents who were at the meeting testified to the remarkable ability of noise to carry up the hill from Bay Street.

“I hear the music all the time. It wakes me up,” said Bek Ashby, who is a member of the Port Orchard Bay Street Association, a business owners group.

The council was in a quandary as to how to proceed on the after-curfew music question. Rinearson offered to see how other cities handle the issue and get back to them at a future meeting.

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Port Orchard’s new police chief, former Cmdr. Geoffrey Marti, says not to expect big changes now that he has taken over from Chief Al Townsend.

Marti’s promotion was confirmed with little fanfare at Tuesday’s city council meeting. Townsend was sworn in as Poulsbo’s police chief last week.

Marti, with five years as second in command of the POPD, said his philosophy is aligned with Townsend, and that’s no surprise. The two have known each other for 25 years and worked together for 15 of them, 10 in the Lincoln, Neb. PD.

Marti expects a smooth transition. He will promote from within to replace his position, he said.

Marti is big on “transparency” and accountability to the public.

“I want people to know what their police department is doing,” he said. “My philosophy is we don’t have anything to hide from the public.”

He has instituted a system of dealing with complaints that creates hard copy documentation of each complaint, how it was handled and the resolution. The front line supervisor involved is responsible for getting back to the person who made the complaint.

“This system finds areas where we maybe did not perform up to standard. It also shows where we exceeded expectations,” Marti said.

Marti said the biggest issue for POPD right now is covering a larger geographic area — due to annexations — with a budget that remains tight. The top two crimes in the city at this time are retail theft, especially from big box stores, and theft from automobiles.

Marti wants the force to be proactive in solving recurrent problems, rather than reactive. That approach has been working well, he said. That’s also the thinking of new Bremerton Police Chief Steve Strachan, who has targeted “frequent fliers.”

With Marti’s promotion, all of Kitsap’s cities now have new police chiefs. Steve Strachan, former King County sheriff, was appointed Bremerton’s chief in February. Matthew Hamner of Indiana was hired as Bainbridge Police chief last week.

Reach the Port Orchard Police Department at (360) 876-1700

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South Kitsap School District employees were notified on April 12 of impending layoffs in the district. The Kitsap Sun covered last night’s Q&A with the school board about the district’s budget situation. These are preliminary “worst case” numbers. Retirements, which you will see the district is looking to identify, will help reduce the number of layoffs. Regardless, this is likely to be the biggest RIF for South Kitsap in recent memory.

Here is a (below) is a copy of the letter Interim Superintendent Bev Cheney sent to employees.

Chris Henry, reporter

Begin Cheney letter:
April 12, 2013

MEMORANDUM

TO: All District Staff

FR: Bev Cheney, Interim Superintendent

RE: 2012-13 and 2013-14 Budget Situation

As you may be aware, the District is currently facing some financial challenges including:
· Decreasing enrollment over the past 10+ years
· The ending fund balance for 2011-12 coming in below projection ($634,000 impact)
· The enrollment shortfall for 2012-13 of 80-100 students ($435,000 – $511,600 impact)
· Projected enrollment decline of 2.5% for most schools for 2013-14
· The exhaustion of local funds we have used to build the “rafts” to sustain programs and positions previously funded by state funds in order to continue to provide high levels of hope and learning for every student.
· Impact of sequestration on federal funds and the local economy
· Increased cost of the provision of special education services beyond what the state funds
· Higher than anticipated fuel and utility costs
· The need to restore the Board’s reserve back to 3% by August 2014 (approx. $436,000)
· The negotiation of five contracts this year

The Board has approved the reduction of its reserve from 3% to 2.5% in order to cover the real and projected expenditures for this year. Because of the ending fund balance for 2011-12 coming in below projection and the enrollment shortfall for 2012-13, we cannot guarantee that even with the reduction of the Board’s reserve to 2.5% that we will be able to cover all of our expenditures and provide 100% building carryover into the 2013-14 school year.

Our budget situation is serious. While we knew that we would be reducing staff due to declining enrollment for 2013-14, we also can no longer continue to fund those positions previously supported by state funds with local funds that have enabled us to achieve great gains in student achievement over these past few years. We have exhausted our ability to create the financial rafts that we have created in the past to support those programs and positions no longer funded by the state and that many districts have already reduced or eliminated. Without these financial rafts, we are now in the situation that other districts faced four years ago.

Consequently, due to the budget issues (between $1.6 and $2.5 million and possibly more depending on the outcome of negotiations and sequestration), we will be staffing classroom positions at all elementary and secondary schools at the preferred level. We will also be eliminating 26.5 FTE previously state funded certificated positions that we have been locally funding. In addition, there will be reductions based on enrollment decline.

However, you must also know that staffing at the preferred level and eliminating the previously state funded 26.5 certificated positions will not meet our goal of reducing our budget by $2.5+ million. Consequently, we will also be reducing classified staff in addition to the classified reductions resulting from enrollment decline.

Your new superintendent, Michelle Reid, upon learning of the budget challenges facing the district, revised the District Office organizational structure in order to realize some budget savings. She has chosen not to fill two administrative (Director of School and Family Support and The Director of Special Programs) and one classified position (Executive Assistant for School and Family Support) at the district office. These positions were vacated due to retirements and a person returning to a previous position.

These reductions in staff still do not solve our budget problem. Consequently, a Leadership Budget Team has been working to identify recommendations for additional reductions to our budget. The work of this group is critical. Unfortunately, we have already used all of the non-personnel options, and so the Leadership Budget Team had to look at positions as they developed their recommendations for addressing the $1.6 to $2.5+ million dollar gap. They have completed their work, and now with input from cabinet I will finalize my recommendations to the Board for $2.5+ million in cuts in order to have a balanced budget for 2013-14.

Since we have exhausted non-personnel options, we will be instituting a Reduction in Force (RIF) this year. In addition to reductions in certificated and classified positions caused by declining enrollment, the positions eliminated in the revised District Office organizational structure, and the reduction of the 26.5 certificated FTE previously mentioned, I will be identifying other certificated and classified positions that may need to be reduced. Consequently, I strongly encourage those who are planning to retire or resign this year to submit their letters/forms to HR by no later than April 30, 2013.

I feel bad being the bearer of this news. It is unfortunate that we can no longer support the great programs that state and federal funds enabled us to implement on behalf of student achievement. I wish I had better news as we have great things happening in this district.

While I tried to include as much information in this email as possible to explain our current budget situation, I know that you may still have many questions. Consequently, I want to invite you to attend a Board Work Study session on the topic of our budget at 6:00pm on Wednesday, April 24, 2013 in the theater at the high school. The Board and I will present information on the budget and then answer questions.

Sincerely,

Bev Cheney

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This weekend I should have a story about two students who have achieved a lot, but the award they are up for they first became candidates for because of how well they did on the ACT and SAT tests. Those two tests have been around forever. (By “forever” I mean longer than I have been a student.) Students now, and this is not news to any parent or educator, spend so much more of their year taking tests than their parents did, that the cry that testing is counterproductive is getting louder.

Consider the piece written by Mary Elizabeth Williams in Salon. Among the many cases she makes is that testing might not only be hurting overall education efforts, it might even be designed to do just that.

And it’s a system that, as Core Standards are being implemented around the country, seems built to fail. “All the passing ratings are going to go down about 30 percent this year; that’s what they’re predicting,” says author, advocate and education historian Diane Ravitch. “The dark view is that they want everybody to fail and they want people to say the public schools stink, so they can push for more vouchers and more charters. I can’t describe what’s going on without thinking that we’re in the process of destroying American public education.”

On Wednesday at the Central Kitsap School District meeting there was a presentation on the state’s method for teacher evaluation, which will be implemented in 2014. As you can see from the slide on the right, testing will at least be part of what helps measure educators.

Then again, we all know parents use school and district test scores to drive real estate values up or down in an area. Parents try to move to areas where test scores are better. They aren’t a guarantee every child will succeed, but what parent doesn’t hope that peer pressure will influence their children to study harder?

Williams’ suggested solution is to go more local.

Absolutely, there are broken schools and faulty teachers who are failing our children every day. But building a better system of public education – an education to which every child in this country is entitled — takes creative and innovative approaches, tailored to individual communities.

How local? would seem to be the important question. While testing, the editorial asserts, hasn’t closed any learning gaps, how can a state know how well each district is doing if it can’t measure one against another? What are your ideas?

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We had a gorgeous day today, didn’t we! And it looks like the rest of the week will be even better, until the weekend.

Since we would be silly to take gorgeous days for granted, I thought I’d show evidence here of one that we had recently so that it’s on our permanent record.

When I went to cover the people who ran and walked to show resolve a day after the Boston Marathon bombings, I also took some footage that didn’t make it onto the video. It remained on the cutting room floor, if you will. (You know what kind of people say “if you will?” The same people who still use “cutting room floor.”)

So I put together a 25-second video for you to enjoy when the skies outside are gray. This Saturday, for example.

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