Dear Editor,
I cannot believe the arrogance of the Gilroy Unified School
District Board in their decision to not allow the cheerleading team
to perform during the Pro Bowl in Hawaii.
Dear Editor,
I cannot believe the arrogance of the Gilroy Unified School District Board in their decision to not allow the cheerleading team to perform during the Pro Bowl in Hawaii. Why in the world should the team advisor have to stand in front of that board and “beg” them to allow the team to participate in an event for which they all worked so hard?
The board reasons that the girls would lose too much time from the classroom, and yet they approved three separate trips the school band will take in which the band members will miss the same amount of classroom time. Oh, THAT really makes a great deal of sense and seems fair doesn’t it?
It’s interesting to note that Principal James Maxwell originally approved the team’s participation and then “changed his mind”, deciding too much time would be missed by the team. Maybe I’m assuming too much here, but could it be that he changed his mind after being instructed to do so by his boss? That’s most likely the case.
Superintendent Edwin Diaz ought to know better than to publicly castrate one of his direct-report employees. If Diaz didn’t like the decision Maxwell made, then it should have been discussed and Maxwell should have been told not to approve it next time. But, once he approved it that should have been the end of it and the team should have been allowed to go.
This elected board is in place to make decisions that are supposed to be in the best interest of the students. They were WAY off the mark with this decision. The cavalier attitude of Board Vice President Tom Bundros, with his comment that “believe it or not, there is life after high school”, truly captures the condescending attitudes of the district administration we parents must face.
The board should reverse their decision, allow the team to perform at the Pro Bowl, and let those girls look back on their time at Gilroy High School with fond memories.
James D. Geiger, Jr., Gilroy
