Dear Editor,
In the last few years, the Gilroy Unified School District has
frequently (and proudly) espoused its belief in
”
collaboration,
”
”
communication
”
and
”
respect.
”
Dear Editor,
In the last few years, the Gilroy Unified School District has frequently (and proudly) espoused its belief in “collaboration,” “communication” and “respect.” Does the district actually put these lofty words into practice? Recent events indicate that it does not.
On May 4, 2006, at one of its regularly scheduled meetings, the Board of Education approved extending the instructional day at the middle school by one period. The teachers do understand the need to invest some additional time in math instruction, as well as the desirability of providing opportunities for below-grade-level students to take elective classes. Nevertheless, it is important to share with the community our deep concern regarding the process that was used in reaching this decision.
A quick read of the strategic plan on the district’s Web site illustrates just how far from the mark the district was. The statement, “Our approach is a collaborative decision-making process,” is particularly ironic, given that there was a complete absence of collaboration and teachers were only asked their opinions after the possible schedules had been developed.
Even now, only one principal out of three has submitted the list of staff concerns to the district, but the decision has been made. Anyone who has seen the May 4th board meeting on TV can also see that the press release was ready to be sent out – before the board voted. One has to wonder what the point of the meeting was …
In addition, this particular item was placed last on the agenda, and was not discussed until after 10 pm, making it difficult for many people to attend.
Given the process that occurred, it is also worth noting that the GUSD Web site highlights two words of its highly publicized Strategic Plan: “collaboration” and “communication.” Neither one of these happened, not with the teachers, not with the parents and not with the community. If you put aside the issue of increasing the instructional time, and focus on the flawed process, you might ask why these two core values of the strategic plan were missing.
The district has shown that it can follow its own strategic plan. The process used in examining the high school schedule is a prime example.
Instead of having a few administrators work on a proposal behind closed doors, there was a committee that included parents, students, food service personnel, attendance personnel, teachers and administrators. The Dispatch was kept in the loop from the beginning. Surveys were conducted of the teachers, students and parents. There were many meetings held to discuss the pros and cons of different schedules and the ramifications of each, with regular updates to everyone who might be impacted by a change.
In short, in its approach to the high school schedule, the district was taking a significant step forward in holding itself accountable to the process and the ultimate decision. How unfortunate that the middle school teachers, students and parents were not afforded the same level of courtesy and respect.
Michelle Nelson,
President, Gilroy Teachers Association
Submitted May 10, the Day of the Teacher
