South County Catholic high school is independent and a benefit for the community
Dear Editor,
I would like to take this opportunity to clear up some misrepresentations from Mr. Mark Grzan regarding the South County Catholic High School (SCCHS).
As the chair of the SCCHS committee, I have been working diligently for many years to help build the first new Catholic college preparatory high school in the Diocese of San Jose in over 50 years. The school is planned to be built on a 40-acre site at the corner of Tennant and Murphy avenues on land owned by the Diocese of San Jose.
This site was specifically purchased by the Diocese of San Jose after it was identified and studied by the Morgan Hill Unified School District as a potential site for the second public high school in Morgan Hill. The second public high school, Sobrato High, was eventually built on an alternative site.
After the purchase of the land, Kathy Malloy Previsich from the City of Morgan Hill approached the SCCHS and asked that we be part of their plan for the South East Quadrant. When we submitted our application in 2008, there was no option on filing separate of the SEQ. The city has worked to develop a plan for the SEQ that is sited and explained in documents on the city website. As stated, their purpose is to:
1. Preserve viable agricultural lands
2. Allow private uses that provide transition between freeway oriented and agricultural land uses
3. Preserve open space and rural character
4. Strengthen city’s identity as an active, healthy, family-friendly place
5. Guide future development through establishment of an Urban Limit Line, Urban Growth Boundary, and Urban Services Area
6. Create land use designations for Sports, Recreation, Leisure and Agricultural Preservation
The SCCHS committee is a non-profit organization conducting a capital campaign to raise money to build a new Catholic high school.
As such the SCCHS has a fiduciary responsibility to our donors to approach all land entitlements in a prudent manner.
Additionally the Agriculture Mitigation Policy that Mr. Grzan refers to is a city policy that will be applied to the SCCHS in the form of substantial fees. His questions regarding the AMP need to be directed at the city of Morgan Hill.
The SCCHS is an independent organization not affiliated with the MHUSD. The studies in question have been conducted on behalf of the SCCHS committee and the Diocese of San Jose to gauge the need and the support for a Catholic high school. All of the studies conducted have shown a very favorable response for the school. Since the high school will be run independently of the MHUSD and the city, there will be no competition for school district resources as stated by Mr. Grzan.
The benefits of a new Catholic high school in Morgan Hill are numerous. Currently 450 to 500 kids leave the South County every day to attend existing non-public schools outside the region. The school will positively impact businesses, home values and the community and will help to create an additional educational choice.
My focus has been and will continue to be the South County Catholic High School. We are working diligently with the city to provide a logical, progressive solution for the SEQ for the benefit of all of our community.
George Chiala, Morgan Hill,
SCCHS Committee Chair
Son-in-law’s endorsement should have been transparent and missed a few key points
Dear Editor,
I am writing this in response to the recent letter by Jonathan Brusco endorsing Stephen Klem for one of the open positions on the Morgan Hill Unified School District Board.
First off, I believe Mr. Brusco should have identified himself as Mr. Klem’s son-in-law, for full disclosure and transparency.
Secondly, I was in attendance at the recent “Meet the Candidates” forum held at the Morgan Hill Community Playhouse and came away quite disappointed in most of the candidates for school board.
For the most part (Mr. Klem included) they displayed little to no knowledge of the multitude or magnitude of the problems and issues the school district faces. Sorry Mr. Klem, but organizing a fundraiser to raise a few hundred dollars for a school program or swim club does not come close to understanding the complexities of a school district encompassing several thousand students, several hundred employees, and a multi-million dollar budget.
By the same token, having family members (Mr. Brusco included) working in education does not, in and of itself, provide any level of qualification for this incredibly important role.
While Mr. Klem may have extensive experience as a parent volunteer, he did not in any way show a working knowledge of the issues the district faces or a commitment to putting in the time required to fully understand these issues to convince me that he would be successful as a member of the MHUSD Board.
Mike Rusch, Morgan Hill
The Golden Quill is awarded occasionally for a well-written letter.
GOP representative at the booth didn’t pay enough attention to this senior voter
Dear Editor,
On Oct. 29 I went to the festival here in Morgan Hill. While there I stopped at the Republican booth to ask a couple of questions. The lady was speaking to a young man inside the booth, so I thought he was a volunteer, too.
I waited and waited and she finally turned to me and asked what I wanted. “Just answer two questions for me,” I said. When I told her the questions, she started to talk to me about what I didn’t know. Then she turned to a couple that was nearby, a couple younger than I.I told the lady I had another question. She turned away from me again. I waited and she never acknowledged me.
I told myself that nobody ignores me this way, so I told her my question and made sure the other people heard me. She was not a happy camper. I decided then and there that they didn’t want any negative questions about presidential candidate Mitt Romney. I came away thinking that the Romney people really don’t care for seniors and what they need or that the lady doesn’t like Mexicans. I’ll be sure and spread that around. Discrimination I know about. Don’t doubt my word, I worked for the District attorney’s office in Santa Clara County and was an interpreter for the courts and in other departments.
Estella M. Andrade, Morgan Hill
Editor’s note: Unfortunately, the letter did not detail what questions she asked.
