I know what the school district can do with the $800,000
leftover from their grant. They can reimburse my family for the
cruise that we booked with the idea that school would get out on
June 3.
“I know what the school district can do with the $800,000 leftover from their grant. They can reimburse my family for the cruise that we booked with the idea that school would get out on June 3. My daughter is a high school senior so she will be graduating. Now if they move the graduation day, we won’t be able to go on the cruise that sails on June 9.”
Red Phone: Dear Stuck At Home, We doubt that you will see any of the leftover grant money as compensation. Hopefully if you contact your cruise line and explain the situation, you should be able to get a refund for your trip. Companies such as Carnival will refund the full amount on most of its cruise packages if you give them at least 90 days notice. The earlier, the better.
Earlier this year, Gilroy Unified School District had to scramble to make cuts in its budget due to the state budget crisis that reduced funding for many schools, said GUSD Superintendent Debbie Flores.
Part of those reductions included a four-day staff furlough this year for all school employees, resulting in a 2 percent salary reduction, she said. As a result, the calendar was reduced by one instructional day and three professional development days, she said.
But recently the federal Education Jobs Bill was passed, allowing for more money to be pumped into public education.
“It had to be used for restoring lost compensation, restoring days, rehiring employees and creating new jobs,” Flores said.
The almost $2 million that Gilroy will receive will allow the district to restore the four days that were cut from the calendar, she said.
Graduation is June 10 this year. To see the full school calendar, visit Red Phone at GilroyDispatch.com.
Can election sign be moved?
“I’m wondering if anyone else has noticed that the big (4 feet by 8 feet?) wooden sign holder on the southwest corner of Monterey Road and Fitzgerald/ Masten avenues is a traffic safety hazard. Four times a day, I turn right from northbound Monterey onto eastbound Masten. The sign does not let me see oncoming traffic from Fitzgerald until I am almost on the railroad crossing. Way too late in my opinion. Bracco’s sign was there until a few days ago, maybe he noticed it was unfavorable to his campaign. Can the sign holder be moved to a safer spot? Maybe just a few feet away from the road? Thanks.”
Red Phone: Dear Obstructed View, Unfortunately city and county code enforcement departments lack of staff to enforce the placement of signs, many of which are illegal. The code enforcement officers in Gilroy and Morgan Hill have recently commented in stories in our newspapers about the difficulty of policing election signs.
County Code Enforcement Director Jim Lanz recommended contacting the individual candidates to see if they could move it or filing a complaint with the Department of Roads and Airports at service. re*****@********ov.org.
Until then, be safe and use extra caution around this intersection.
