One of the best things about a local newspaper is its ability to
focus on what matters close to home. The Dispatch reporters do a
good job of keeping the community up to date on the state of
affairs in the city and schools in Gilroy.
One of the best things about a local newspaper is its ability to focus on what matters close to home. The Dispatch reporters do a good job of keeping the community up to date on the state of affairs in the city and schools in Gilroy. I attribute the good job done by the editorial staff at The Dispatch to common sense. Even when I disagree, almost all of the editorials are written with the best interests of Gilroy in mind.
Over the course of the past few months, I have been participating in the online polls at www.gilroydispatch.com. The results of these polls provide an insight into the heart of Gilroy. I have often accused the administration of Gilroy Unified School district of being out of touch with the community. I believe that some GUSD officials are too quick to blame The Dispatch for reporting on the mistakes of our school district. The truth remains that The Dispatch writes far more positive stories about our schools than negative ones. What the district must realize is that our local paper has insight into how Gilroy thinks, what works for us, and what we value. The online poll results bear this out.
The first online poll asked “Were the Gilroy High School skits too racy?” The results were that 58 percent said yes, 34 percent said no, and 8 percent were undecided. Clearly, sexually explicit skits performed by and for Gilroy students are not supported in this community. The next drama teacher at Gilroy High School is probably already aware that these skits will not be tolerated again.
The next poll asked “Should the City Council approve the new Wal-Mart?” Not surprisingly, this poll showed 44 percent in favor and 55 percent opposed to approval of the Wal-Mart. This was a very divisive issue in town, and the Council was split on this as well.
The third poll was the only one so far to not be about a local issue. It asked “Should same sex marriage be legalized?” Again, this is a passionate issue with no clear outcome expected. The poll showed that 46 percent of locals were in favor of same sex marriage with 53 percent opposed.
The next poll asked readers to pick the best of four designs for the Arts/Cultural Center. In this poll, 42 percent favored a design that didn’t get chosen, while 31 percent of readers chose the winning design.
The next poll question asked was “Should Gilroy High School teacher Kristen Porter been dismissed from her job immediately?” In a slam dunk for sanity, readers overwhelmingly said no – 81 percent. Only 15 percent of readers believe that GUSD did the right thing in marching this teacher off campus as if she were an imminent threat to the school.
Finally, the latest poll asked readers “Do you think Bonfante Gardens will survive?” The verdict is in and it doesn’t look good. Only 26 percent of readers are true believers, with 69 percent of the respondents voting no. I voted no, but it still depressed me to realize that the park and all its potential may very well be gone in a year or two.
What became obvious to me as I looked at the poll results was that we are a very predictable people here in Gilroy. On the bigger issues like Super Wal-Mart and same-sex marriage, issues which are challenges elsewhere, we are sharply divided. On local school issues, we are much less divided. We all want what is best for our students, we support our teachers, and we don’t like the distraction that the GUSD mistakes cause.
As GUSD and company sits down to write a mission statement and update their strategic plan, I implore them to remember where they live. GUSD can’t afford to make the mistake of trying to sell to Gilroy that which we don’t want to buy. If they still don’t know what we can live with, they can educate themselves really quick by reading the last six months of The Dispatch.
