Columnists

Have you recently received a pension buyout offer? If so, you need to decide if you should take the buyout, which could provide you with a potentially large lump sum, or continue accepting your regular pension payments for the rest of your life. It’s a big decision.

It’s a full-fledged assault now on the charter school petitions from Rocketship and Navigator. Fascinating to watch unfold, there are “hatchet men” who likely expect to be rewarded down the line, teacher’s union petition bullies, master strategic planners and a whole bunch of folks who are wrongly becoming convinced that doom and gloom (lost jobs and the collapse of public education in Morgan Hill) are right around the corner should the County Office of Education approve the charters after the rejections of Navigator and Rocketship petitions to open schools – the latter rejection by the Board of Trustees looming just around the corner. As in any good modern American fight, the attorneys are next in line, salivating on the sidelines with thoughts of sugarplum taxpayer funded treasures dance in their heads. Everyone knows a teacher, of course. It’s the largest employee group in Morgan Hill according to the city – Morgan Hill Unified, 753 employees, Anritsu, 488. So, it’s uncomfortable stuff, especially with holiday parties ahead. But it’s too bad that cooperative learning is preached on a classroom level, but not practiced on an administrative level. The charter schools are agents for change and, if skillfully integrated into MHUSD, could lift the entire district. It’s happening elsewhere in this county, but MHUSD opted for a good old-fashioned all-out Nixonian political the-best-defense-is-a-good-offense assault, and the dust will not settle now for years to come.

You know it's fall when there is a crisp breeze, the leaves gently fly from the trees, the air turns colder and I spend about 10 minutes deciding the best way to kill my husband. Oh, stop judging me. It's totally justifiable homicide, according to my extensive research that consists mainly of repeats of “Law & Order,” with a couple of “CSI” episodes thrown in so I know how to hide all the evidence.

“Oh, music, sweet music, thy praises we sing. We tell of the pleasures and gladness you bring. Music, music, gladness you bring.”

Well, I thought I was going to be able to share a little good news with you this week. You see, I believed my hearing greatly improved one magical night. Unfortunately, a visit to my good friend, Dr. Joe at the Hearing and Speech Services here in Morgan Hill, told me it was just circumstances. You see, Lady M had eleven of her friends over recently to play Bunco and, although I was sequestered in an upstairs bedroom, the noise level was close to the 135db pitch of a jet engine at 100 feet. I was certain that my hearing had returned to normal – no group of lovely ladies could possibly have that much fun and express their enjoyment that loudly.