Gilroy
– OpenGATE, a group of parents whose children are in the Gifted
And Talented Education program, recently applied for a $10,000
grant that would help fund GATE-targeted theater arts programs
district wide.
The grant will benefit theater programs that are designed for,
but not exclusive to GATE students, said OpenGATE member Bill
Hudson.
Gilroy – OpenGATE, a group of parents whose children are in the Gifted And Talented Education program, recently applied for a $10,000 grant that would help fund GATE-targeted theater arts programs district wide.
The grant will benefit theater programs that are designed for, but not exclusive to GATE students, said OpenGATE member Bill Hudson.
Tentatively, the majority of the grant – $7,000 – will go to Rucker Elementary’s theater arts program, which recently has taken a major hit, Hudson said. Of that, $5,000 will go to additional salaries and $2,000 to production costs.
“Rucker’s program was cut severely last year,” Hudson said. “They used to have three productions, and last year it was cut down to one. We would at least like to see two productions total.”
About $2,000 will help fund a joint theater production put on by the district’s three middle schools. That program was put on hiatus this year due to lack of funding, Hudson said. The remaining $1,000 will go to Gilroy High School’s theater arts program.
Hudson said the theater arts programs request stood the best chance of receiving the grant from Calpine/Gilroy Energy Center because those programs focus on community development and education, two of the four main areas of focus the grant application required. The other two are environment and health and human services.
Through the grant, Calpine/Gilroy Energy Center will award a total of $50,000 to Gilroy community based organizations and groups. Hudson said he expects to know the results next month.
In the meantime, he said, OpenGATE will continue to focus its efforts on fund raising and becoming a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization.
The group has been researching the possibility of becoming a nonprofit that would act as a grant-writing service for teachers. Under this structure, teachers could submit grant requests to OpenGATE, and the group would work on their behalf to obtain the money.
Until that status is secured, which could take a few months, OpenGATE will serve as a liaison between the district and GATE parents, operating separately from a GATE parent advisory committee that meets monthly.
At the last meeting of parents of high-achieving students in grades six and above – separate from OpenGATE – parents told district officials they were frustrated that their children were not being challenged in accelerated classes. They also said the district’s response was slow and, so far, fruitless.
Hudson said he hopes GATE parents who want their voice heard will become involved in OpenGATE, which meets with the district on a regular basis to address concerns. The relationship between the parent group and the district is positive and honest, he said.
