As I sit down to write today, it occurs to me that if I address
all the issues I want to this week, I will far exceed words
allotted for my column.
As I sit down to write today, it occurs to me that if I address all the issues I want to this week, I will far exceed words allotted for my column. Bear with me as I attempt to be concise.
• “Issue One: Beautiful Downtown Gilroy”
I was pleased to see the list of people appointed to the Downtown Specific Plan Task Force. These brave souls have their work cut out for them. It seems as though everyone associated with The Dispatch has chimed in on our downtown. I only take exception to one thing that The Dispatch’s Friday gal said about my last column.
I don’t envision a “Disneyland Downtown” in Gilroy, because I don’t do Disney. I don’t own any Disney clothing or memorabilia and I haven’t been to Disneyland in 38 years. Maybe the vision of “clean and pedestrian friendly” is now synonymous with Disney. Let me be crystally sparkly clear: I envision a downtown Gilroy which would look similar to the downtowns in the historic towns along the Hudson River back east.
Here you will find downtowns with bakeries, restaurants, clubs, clothing stores, theaters and bookstores. They also hold art galleries, jewelry stores, butcher shops, wine and cheese shops, comic book stores, etc. … Our downtown has some of the elements in place already. We also have an excess of boarded up buildings and blight. I believe that Cynthia Walker is in the minority of people in Gilroy who see our downtown as an inviting destination.
I would not allow my children to walk around downtown without an adult. At the end of the day, I am left wondering why so many businesses which are or have been located in downtown Gilroy struggle or fail. I hope the task force will be able to address the issues and work on building a thriving and sustainable heart to our city.
• “Issue Two: Chubby Children”
I have had this discussion with phyical education teacher Pat Vickroy before and will surely have it again. Our elementary school children are in dire need of a full physical fitness program. Where is there a more obese population of children than in Gilroy?
Most fifth graders can’t run a mile because at least half of them are severely overweight. Many of our overweight children are participants in the free or reduced lunch program. We are feeding them all the wrong kinds of foods. My son occasionally purchases a school lunch. So far, he has been offered pizza, burritos or burgers. Why not start giving our children rice or salad instead?
In addition, elementary schools have no incentive to fulfill the state mandated number of PE minutes our kids desperately need. We take away physical education so that we can supplement reading and language. We do this so that children who test below grade level can improve test scores. What we fail to acknowledge is that children who are eating nutritious meals and keeping physically fit are better prepared to learn.
Obese children are generally inactive children. They are more prone to asthma. These children often watch too much television and play too many video games. This is a health crisis just waiting to explode. Our district, in conjunction with parents and students, needs to address this problem immediately.
• “Issue Three: Don’t let the GATE hit you on the way out”
Rucker parents met with many district personnel this week in an effort to keep the self-contained GATE program at Rucker School. Here is a classic district snafu.
In 1999, the district approved the movement of sixth graders off the elementary school campuses into middle schools. This was done despite the overwhelming protests of parents, eager to keep their sixth graders at elementary school. The district has known for four years that the sixth graders would be moving to middle school for the 2003-2004 school year. While this decision was made, the district continued to offer GATE identified students a program at Rucker School for “self-contained GATE classes for grades three through six.”
I was one of the many parents who signed my children up. I attended the GATE Open House at Rucker in May 2001 and signed my two children up. I was given a letter on GUSD letterhead informing me that the program was for grades three through six, along with a little brochure about the Rucker GATE program.
I watched the entire GATE staff, including 6th grade teacher Sue Gamm, explain what awaited my children. The district made an offer, let’s call it a contract. I accepted the terms – GATE classes through and including 6th grade. Now the district has changed that contract, without asking the other parties to that contract – the parents – if they would agree to the change.
Add to this the fact that the district is doing away with GATE at the middle school in favor of accelerated classes. Add to this the fact that GATE children who miss out on the last year of GATE at Rucker will not get the 200 minutes of GATE enrichment they should be getting.
Add to this the lack of teachers trained to work with sometimes quirky GATE students (and their equally quirky parents). And as an added bonus, we must not forget that this will be the first year that parents will not have an option as to which of the three middle schools their child will attend. Can you say frustration? Is there a lawyer in the house?
I have gone way over my allotted words and didn’t even get to “Issue Four: The Great Amerification of Bonfante Gardens.” I guess I’ll be getting an early start on next week’s column.
