After attending our new superintendent’s welcome reception last
Tuesday, it is very evident that the citizens, students and
employees of the Morgan Hill Unified School District are eager,
excited and ready to embrace Dr. Wesley Smith’s guidance and
leadership.
After attending our new superintendent’s welcome reception last Tuesday, it is very evident that the citizens, students and employees of the Morgan Hill Unified School District are eager, excited and ready to embrace Dr. Wesley Smith’s guidance and leadership. If I could sit down with him, I’d like to share the history of Morgan Hill, for one needs to know the past to plan for the future.
This land was once a part of the vast Spanish and later Mexican Empire of Alta California. Proud rancheros settled this area with their traditions and Spanish heritage. Our district is composed of 42 percent Latino students and their voices must be heard. We must seek out their input and leadership to not only help close the achievement gap for this demographic, but also for the richness of their history, character and enduring qualities. Dr. Smith should reevaluate the board’s decision to elect board members at-large. Voting by zones would ensure that the people in this district had a fair voice in the decisions and would give not only our Hispanic community a larger voice, but would also address the citizens’ issues in south San Jose whose children this district serves.
The industrious, hard working pioneers that founded the city of Morgan Hill embodied a great sense of community spirit. This spirit is still evident in the numerous ways that this town supports its most basic function: educating its youth. Our Live Oak Foundation has continually supported innovative projects offering our children opportunities to learn with the necessary support. The Teachers Aid Coalition helps supply our schools with needed materials even as our state’s education dollars shrink. Churches in Morgan Hill and south San Jose continue to support our schools with a number of volunteer projects. Service clubs such as Rotary continue to support various school projects and recognize students of the month. Scholarships are offered to our graduates from a variety of citizens, teachers and organizations to ensure that our youth will continue to receive a world class education. These projects should be valued and celebrated by our new superintendent and used as a model for future community outreach.
In 1867, Morgan Hill’s first one-room school house was located in the Coyote Valley. Our schools have always been one of the main threads that bind this community together. Our school system was based on collegiality, collaboration and cooperation. This sense of mutual respect makes an organization strong and successful. All employees of our district should be held to this high standard. Anyone who doesn’t exemplify these ideals should be asked to leave. We cannot move forward in our district without these basic values. Our students will benefit greatly when professionals are allowed to participate in the decision making process. The time of belittling, intimidating and bullying from the leadership in this district is OVER! The time for mutual respect, listening to all stakeholders, and making informed, collaborative decisions is NOW!
Many of our educators are hard-working, dedicated and longtime employees who have been the backbone of this district. Our Deputy Superintendent Bonnie Tognazzini has, despite severe cutbacks in state spending, wisely managed our finances to secure our solvency. Leaders, such as Pat Blanar, have been instrumental in keeping our students’ best interests at heart. Through her leadership, our district has made major gains in curricular areas. Our support staffs have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to support our endeavors on behalf of our children. Our teaching staff continued to work professionally offering our students 100 percent effort even when our contract continued to be ignored. Dr. Smith, work with our unions’ leadership groups for the benefit of all. Value our district’s most important resource, its human resources. Theresa Sage, President of the Morgan Hill Federation of Teachers, and her executive team are ready and willing to work collaboratively in a supportive manner. Our classified staff is equally anxious to be included.
Finally, I’d let Dr. Smith know that this community is replete with amazing students and caring, giving parents who are ready to support positive efforts for our district. Seek out those individuals who will support our labor to nurture the talented children of our district. We, the staff, parents, students, and community, will be there to ensure that our mutual goals are met. We are ready to follow a charismatic, caring and collegial leader.
Margaret Rodrigues has taught in Morgan Hill for 33 years, is married, raised three grown children (two are now educators), is the MHFT vice-president, and served on the California Association for Gifted Board of Directors. She was Morgan Hill Teacher of the Year in 2005 and CAG Teacher of the Year in 1990.
