If you are a fan of School Board Trustee David McRae, you may
want to ignore this column. You may go immediately to the Society
column and read all about a fabulous cocktail party or round of
golf that you didn’t get invited to. If you are a taxpayer, a
voter, or a parent of children enrolled in Gilroy Unified School
District, read on.
If you are a fan of School Board Trustee David McRae, you may want to ignore this column. You may go immediately to the Society column and read all about a fabulous cocktail party or round of golf that you didn’t get invited to. If you are a taxpayer, a voter, or a parent of children enrolled in Gilroy Unified School District, read on.
I have had issues with David McRae since he first took office. I supported him initially, thinking he showed promise. He genuinely seemed concerned about making our schools more rigorous and our children more successful. Over the years, he has disappointed this constituent more and more frequently. I am not going to reiterate all the gaffes and mistakes, but a few from the past year really stand out.
I thought his zenith occurred when he called for a new parcel tax similar to one passed in Palo Alto. He topped that by suggesting that one of the reasons that high-performing schools might be high-performing is because they may be spending less time in the classroom and more time on field trips than Gilroy students. In December, he chastised school board hopeful Bob Heisey for making what he called a “derogatory” remark. Unfortunately, the remark was neither derogatory nor made by Mr. Heisey. Mr. McRae has now gone out on a limb to make even more ridiculous assertions which can only prove harmful to the children who attend Gilroy public schools.
In a recent interview with the Dispatch, he is quoted regarding the Day of Silence:
“Were we really harmed or did it open up a lot of dialogue that led to a lot of change?” he said. “I’m not sold that it’s a crisis. I think socially it’s more of an issue than instructionally.”
We were harmed. Students lost precious instructional minutes. Of course, there is no crisis in the McRae household. His children attend Catholic schools. Teachers in Catholic schools know that not speaking in class isn’t an option. Not because of their contract with the school, but because of their unwritten contract with the parents who make great sacrifices to send their children to private schools. Believe me, the Catholic Church believes in plenty of social justice issues which could result in many Days of Silence at Catholic Schools. But these issues are not addressed in the classroom so that they infringe on student’s instructional time.
McRae said teachers can provide an effective lesson without speaking, and that it will be nearly impossible, to write a policy demanding teachers talk during class.
How often can teachers effectively teach without using words, Mr. McRae? Once a year? Once a quarter? Once a week? Clearly, this is not as insurmountable a task as Mr. McRae seems to believe. Requiring that a teacher talk during class is no more impossible than requiring that a school bus driver stop to pick up students.
School districts can and should require that custodians not just turn on the vacuum, but actually clean the carpet. School districts can and should require that cafeteria workers do more than just prepare the food – they should serve it as well. I think our classified staff in GUSD has a pretty good notion of what is required of them. Most of our teachers do as well. But we know that at least four teachers at the high school were in need of clear direction from the superintendent and the other members of the school board. The public now knows where David McRae stands, and I am relieved that the rest of the Board of Trustees doesn’t agree with Mr. McRae.
The board member also thinks the real issue is intolerance of homosexuals, not education. “I don’t see a lot of gays and lesbians walking around (in Gilroy)'” he said. “I don’t see a lot of discussion about it.”
This is perhaps the most ludicrous of his remarks. He pulls this “issue” out of thin air, and has nothing to back up his statement. On the contrary, not one person who opposed the Day of Silence at the school board meeting objected to the Gay/Straight Alliance or student participation.
I am astounded that Mr. McRae would say that he doesn’t see a lot of gays or lesbians walking around Gilroy. How exactly does he know? Is he claiming to have some kind of personal “gaydar” which alerts him to the presence of gay people? Is he claiming that gay people look or act different in public than straight people? Or is he claiming that because he doesn’t acknowledge them that they don’t exist? These are truly audacious and insulting claims.
I don’t know if Mr. McRae is planning to seek reelection. If he chooses to run again, he will have a lot to answer for from this constituent.
