The Coyote Valley Specific Plan Task Force was formed in August
2002 and held its first meeting in September 2002. Russ Danielson
was appointed to the task force by San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales as a
representative of MHUSD.
The Coyote Valley Specific Plan Task Force was formed in August 2002 and held its first meeting in September 2002. Russ Danielson was appointed to the task force by San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales as a representative of MHUSD. Danielson, a San Jose resident, was an appointed school board member when the task force was formed, but he lost an election bid to keep his trustee seat in November 2002.
Still he continues to serve as the MHUSD representative on the task force 17 months after voters decided not to keep him on the school board.
While we appreciate Danielson’s faithfulness – he says he’s attended every meeting – we don’t think he’s the best choice to represent the school district. It’s a job for an elected, current school board member.
Morgan Hill needs a current trustee, one who is familiar with the challenges the district faces, one who will be a member of the school board for at least a few years, one who is responsible to the voters of this district to serve on this important task force.
We don’t know if MHUSD officials have been too shy to ask or if City of San Jose officials have denied requests, but MHUSD needs a change on the task force. It’s fine with us if the task force is expanded to 21 members so that Danielson, a dedicated member, can continue to serve as a south San Jose representative, but the seat reserved for a MHUSD representative needs to go to Mike Hickey, Shellé Thomas or Amina Khemici – trustees who have two plus years remaining on their term of office.
We urge district officials to make that happen posthaste. The fact that it is now 17 months after Danielson’s election loss and yet he is still the district’s representative on this crucial task force is just another example of the district’s lack of forward planning.
The City of Morgan Hill also has requested representation on the task force, most recently in a letter April 12. Earlier, a pointed request through San Jose planners who explained the developing plan to the council, was rejected.
The idea of development in Coyote Valley has been around for years – ever since Cisco unveiled its plans for the area. That, thankfully for the district, was delayed by the dot-com bust, but development will come.
Parents and taxpayers in the district are so concerned about the possibility of so many more students in the Coyote Valley than in Morgan Hill and San Martin that some are advocating creating a new Coyote Valley School District. Others have proposed transferring the Coyote Valley into Oak Grove or Evergreen school districts.
MHSD needs to get on top of this situation now. Losing the Coyote Valley as part of the Morgan Hill Unified School District means not only losing responsibility for the thousands of students that will reside there, it also has a real fiscal impact. The district would also lose what would likely amount to millions of dollars in property tax revenue from that development. MHUSD already receives a good chunk of change from property taxes on the energy transmission plants (Calpine) located in the Coyote Valley.
The district needs to study the financial impact now, at partial build-out and at complete build-out of keeping and losing the Coyote Valley from its borders. These answers are needed now so that trustees, administrators, parents and taxpayers can have an intelligent debate, one informed by facts, not speculation, on the question.
We’re concerned that some school board members have already voiced opinions on this matter (“… The disadvantages outweigh the initial advantages. It is time we start concentrating on fixing what we need to in our existing district,” Trustee Thomas told reporter Marilyn Dubil) without benefit of a fiscal impact study.
Those who use scare tactics like “it will double the size of our district” forget to mention that won’t happen instantly. The valley will be developed over a period of years. With foresight and planning – something, admittedly, this district often lacks – the growth can be accommodated.
But there is cause for urgency: MHUSD needs a trustee on the task force, now, and it needs to study the impact of Coyote Valley, now. Anything less is a breach of the district’s duty to parents, taxpayers and students – present and future.
