EDITOR: I have been quiet for a long time, and for those of you
who know me, that has not been an easy task. The time has now come
to speak out.
EDITOR:
I have been quiet for a long time, and for those of you who know me, that has not been an easy task. The time has now come to speak out.
For months now, I have sat at school board meetings and listened to people use their constitutionally guaranteed right to free speech to rally against the school board, Sobrato High School and administrators in general. There were valid points made about fiscal responsibility, questions about what programs would be available and where boundaries would be drawn.
There were many speakers to protect what was dearest to them: band, football, water polo, electives, advanced classes and the sense of community they had coming together in one high school.
At first I thought that this was a healthy exchange of opposing views, legitimate questions and expressions of strong feelings. I didn’t even flinch at the conspiracy theories about hidden agendas the administration had for our schools. After all it was so hidden I hadn’t heard about it, but then maybe I wasn’t hooked up to the X-file websites some of these people seem to have access to.
I would be distressed at the calling out and whispers behind the back when some board member or administrator made a statement that some of the audience didn’t agree with. It just seemed down right unfair since they couldn’t do the same when one of the audience got up and implied that they were lying, incompetent or perpetrating a fraud.
I was also more than a little distressed when CARE (Concerned Adults for Responsible Education) came into existence and started a recall on four board members. The price tag of $300,000 coming out of our children’s education fund for this exercise in local politics would be comical if it were not a very real threat.
I have decided to spearhead my own group of parents. I think we will call ourselves WHO CARES (We Humans Opposed to Concerned Adults for Responsible Education’s Silliness). The only requirement for joining this group is that besides worrying about your child, you have to worry about all the children in our district.
To that end, we have to come to realize that the public has spoken and by two-third’s majority voted to have two high schools. They came to realize that what most teachers will agree to, is that overcrowded classrooms make successful teaching more difficult. How everyone can see its importance in kindergarten to grade 3 and not champion it for grades where the subject matter is more complicated and diverse is difficult for me to understand.
The campaigns to pass the bond issue were well fought and the public has made its choice. Now when we are so close to having this achievement in our grasp and giving the children in our district better schools, we can’t let the voices of a few, not matter how well intentioned, derail the voters’ wishes.
We promised voters two equal schools, and we should all be working to insure that that occurs. We have some serious problems with the number of our students who are dropping out, we have a serious problem with the number of our students going to higher education, we have a serious problem with the percent of students with one or more F’s. When we have only 34.8 percent of our students meeting UC/CSU entrance requirements, we have to see the need to improve. Albert Einstein said it best when he described the definition of insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
While I respect those people who have stood up and given their view points, and applaud anyone who has taken the time to show up, I don’t feel they represent the true will of the people of Morgan Hill. My greater respect has to go out to the people who are with our children every day and work to help all our children and that includes teachers, administrators and board members.
We should be rejoicing that we have this wonderful opportunity to improve our children’s lives. I for one remember the thrill when we broke ground at Sobrato and when I read about the excellent staff that has signed on board. Two high schools can only help improve the quality of education here in countless ways. There are many of us who feel this way and it is about time for us to have our voices heard.
Kathy Sullivan, Morgan Hill
