Superintendent Edwin Diaz’ announcement of his fairly certain departure from the Gilroy Unified School District gives me occasion to raise yet again some of the issues I’ve mentioned in the past that haven’t really been answered well by either district in South County.
How to reclaim families who choose private schools. Because enrollment increased in both districts this year, public school officials seemed to gloss over the fact that more than 1,000 children (in each district) are educated in private schools instead. The growth in enrollment is more likely attributable to growth in population than the success of schools to attract these students back.
Most school board trustees would acknowledge that most parents send their children to private schools because of lack of satisfaction with the public schools, and I see no effort to engage these families to find out what the deal is. Instead, most say “well, it’s their choice and they should be able to make that choice.” That’s a polite non-reply to a tough question that deserves greater consideration and action. Our communities have a number of families who have specific issues with the local schools that are totally in the districts’ power to address.
Local parents who send their kids to private schools can continue to dish out thousands of dollars and not have an impact on the decisions made that impact the lives of their neighbors’ children. And that’s fine. But in continuing to remain separate from the business of the public schools, a valuable voice of experience is not being heard by those who need to hear it most.
During the GUSD superintendent search, the community needs its private and alternative school and home-schooling parents to emerge in this process and insist on being part of the debate. Some school board members might say: “we’re already working on improving academic achievement.” However, if they actually identified and worked to meet the needs of what 75 percent of private school parents (those who don’t choose private schools based on ideology) identify, the schools would improve, and not just academically.
Maybe I’m beating a dead horse with this issue. But, these are still public schools private and home school parents are paying for with their taxes. They should insist on a focus group with such parents.
Isn’t it aggravating to private school parents to pay additionally because what they already pay for doesn’t work for them? Get mad and get involved. Let the decision makers know: what do you need to have the next superintendent be and do to get you to consider coming back to Gilroy and Morgan Hill schools?
How to engage the entire community to support the schools. What is your plan to communicate to me what your challenges are, what you need from me to support you and your progress on meeting your goals?
One-school-district towns suffer a bit of myopia. They believe that, because they educate the majority of local children, they’re communicating with the entire community when they send flyers home in weekly packets, or information via an e-mail list to students’ parents.
Or, if it isn’t such shortsightedness, it’s an inability to articulate what’s needed from a general community member like me because the need seems so complex, such as closing the academic achievement gap by increasing language skills of local English language learners so that they can learn on schedule.
If district officials are struggling to “break it down,” what about starting with something smaller and doable? (A start? A book drive to fill the new school libraries at the mainstream high schools). I know of offers to help fill those shelves, but none that have been accepted (or even responded to). For example, I’m still waiting for that list of books desired so I can communicate it to my generous friends and they can have current books.
Plenty of empty nesters, grandparents without local grandchildren, and other adults are untapped resources. A quarterly guest column in the local paper simply knocks on the door. How will the next superintendent, current board members, and school principals (and librarians) do it so the door opens and people can walk through?
Connecting with the entire community to gain support for our missions is a constant test for local human services providers as well, so I appreciate the challenge. But it’s one that must be met if we are to succeed in preparing our kids with the appropriate foundation to thrive in their adulthood.
Columnist Dina Campeau is a wife, mother of two teens and a resident of Morgan Hill. Her work for the last seven years has focused on affordable housing and homeless issues in Santa Clara County. Her column will be published each Friday. Reach her at
dc******@ch*****.net
.
