At a sparsely populated school board meeting – the last to give
input into the skill set the new superintendent should possess
– zero, nil, no, members of the public showed up.
Few show up to provide input into the skill set of the next superintendent
At a sparsely populated school board meeting – the last to give input into the skill set the new superintendent should possess – zero, nil, no, members of the public showed up. At two previous community input meetings, just 25 members of the public stepped up to give their thoughts. In attendance at the most recent meeting Aug. 6 were the five board members, two teachers, a staff member, a representative from The Cosca Group charged with recruiting candidates, and three members of Padres Unidos, a loosely organized group of Latinos concerned about minority students in the district.
The meetings were held to give The Cosca Group an idea of what type of person the community would like to see lead the Morgan Hill Unified School District into the future. The Cosca Group will take all the information gathered and create a brochure they’ll use to recruit Morgan Hill’s next superintendent of schools.
A whole lot of complaining, but very little action from the community
In contrast, during the Jackson Oaks trail debate in September 2007, more than 100 people packed the City Council chambers and hundreds more filled a room at the Community and Cultural Center to advocate against a trail study.
It appears that Morgan Hill residents love to complain, but when it comes time for action, they are invisible, unless of course the city wants to study the idea of a trail through Jackson Oaks, or looks at the extension of Santa Teresa Boulevard. Then, because the issue is in their backyard, they come out in droves. But when it comes time for input into what they’d like to see in the new superintendent of schools, they are missing in action.
Time to expand the definition of backyard and get involved
There was a real chance for residents to have an impact on local government, and just two dozen people show up?
The Latino parents want a brochure that accurately describes the school district, which now has a higher percentage of Latino students than any other race. They want a Latino superintendent, if possible, and at least someone who understands diversity and the educational needs of Latino students. They showed up and spoke out. Where were the rest of you? It’s time to broaden the definition of backyard to include the city, not just a neighborhood. Remember, decisions are made by those who show up.
