Direction of system will be set by voters
Test scores are low, newly imposed exit exams are looming and
there’s a $69 million bond measure on the ballot. It’s safe to say
that race for four seats on the Gilroy Unified School Board may be
the most scrutinized ever.
Direction of system will be set by voters
Test scores are low, newly imposed exit exams are looming and there’s a $69 million bond measure on the ballot. It’s safe to say that race for four seats on the Gilroy Unified School Board may be the most scrutinized ever.
On Wednesday night from 7-9 p.m. at Gilroy City Hall, the six school board candidates on the Nov. 5 ballot will square of in a forum to address the issues facing the district as well as the $69 million bond that would help repair the school district’s infrastructure.
The candidates include: incumbents T.J. Owens and current Board President Jim Rogers. In addition, challengers David McRae, Thomas Bundros, Jesus Gonzalez and David Oberstadt have tossed their names into the arena.
Rogers has been on the board since 1998. While proud of the board’s accomplishment during his tenure, he believes that there is much more work that needs to be done.
“My to-do list goes beyond 2002,” said Rogers. “We need to continue to focus on student achievement and we need to continue to recruit dedicated teachers. To do that, we need competitive salaries that will keep them here. And we’re working on that.”
In the next three years, the district plans to spend $5 million to help meet the concerns through a staff development plan.
The district’s goal is to have 90 percent of students performing at or above grade level in reading and math. The goals were put in place to help ensure students can pass a state-mandated exit exam that officially goes into affect in 2004.
In addition to discussion on test-score improvements, it is expected that each candidate will address their views on Measure I.
In March a similar measure, measure D, failed to get the 55 percent of the votes required for passage. It received 52.9 percent yes votes and 47.1 percent no votes.
But this time school and city officials back the measure, which now includes the building of a new high school.
“I took a neutral stance on Measure D but I’m officially supporting this,” said Gilroy Mayor Tom Springer. “They finally got it right. I think it’s a rock-solid plan and they added the new high school to it. I don’t think there’s much organized opposition to it.”
In addition to a new high school, the ballot argument in favor of the measure states that it will: Upgrade all schools for safety; construct additional classrooms for overcrowding; rehabilitate outdated classrooms, science labs, libraries and cafeterias; repair/replace leaky roofs; upgrade deteriorated restrooms, plumbing and sewers; replace inefficient heating and ventilation systems; improve electrical capacity and access to technology and rebuild Eliot and Las Animas Schools.
If the measure passes, the district will collect roughly $60 for every $100,000 of a home’s assessed value over the next 25 years. The measure tacks on the additional fee to the current property tax bill but only looks at the home’s assessed value, not its current market value, which is often dramatically higher.
According to a letter from school Superintendent Edwin Diaz that went out to parents in the district in July, every school in the district will benefit from the bond measures passage.
For example, if the measure passes, Gilroy High School is slated to receive 16 different improvements including: the renovation of its classrooms; new heating, ventilation and air conditioning system; an expanded library; 10 portable classrooms to help alleviate overcrowding; and a 1,000 seat indoor/outdoor cafeteria.
Owens, who has been on the board since November of 2000, is also a strong supporter of the measure.
“It’s very important,” he said. “Some of our schools are 40 and 50 years old.”
Like Rogers, Owens feels that his work is not complete.
“My goal has not been reached,” said Owens. “I want to see that the district’s goals are met. And it’s very important to get these kids passing the exit exams. We can’t have our kids running around uneducated and without degrees.”
Owens has been involved in education for 40 years. He has been a high school teacher and coach as well as an administrator. He was the former vice president of student services at Gavilan College.
Rogers has spent 31 years in the Gilroy School District, serving as a teacher, counselor and a vice principal.
“Our biggest problem right now is student achievement,” said Rogers. “For the last two years test scores have improved, but there are still flaws in the system that need to be confronted. And I’m motivated to help fix them. It’s a good thing I’m retired because this job takes a lot of time.”
Bundros, who has put his six children through the local school system, says the system has degraded over the years.
“My key motivating factor in this is to sponsor improvement in the schools,” he said. “When I moved here 19 years ago, the schools were serviceable, but that serviceability has gradually decreased over the years.”
But he is happy with the direction he has seen as of late.
“I like Edwin Diaz (superintendent),” said Bundros. “I think he’s taken an honest look at the state of the district. In time, I think we will see and are seeing improvement. I’m pleased that the honors program was reinstated. I think it was absolutely needed. And although it’s a pilot program now, I’m hoping that it expands to tenth grade.”
Bundros is a software engineer who has taught Sunday school at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in San Jose for the past decade. He, too, wants to see the district be able to attract and retain the most qualified faculty available.
“Pay is an issue now,” Bundros said. “But the teachers also feel like they don’t have a voice in what’s going on. If elected, I’m only one vote on this board. My job is to work with the rest of the board in furthering the goals of the district. I can’t do it myself. But I’m good at working with people, I speak well and I’m a persuasive arguer. As an engineer, I’m also very interested in data.”
Calls left to the other candidates were not returned. The terms of the remaining board members, Bob Kraemer, Jaime Rosso and John Gurich, end in 2004.
