Your recent article on the API scores for Gilroy Unified School
District showed some very good growth for several schools.
Congratulations to everyone involved for your accomplishments. I
especially want to congratulate the staff and faculty at Rucker
Elementary for their stunning 31-point gain.
Awesome API scores from Rucker School, way to go and keep it up!
Dear Editor,
Your recent article on the API scores for Gilroy Unified School District showed some very good growth for several schools. Congratulations to everyone involved for your accomplishments. I especially want to congratulate the staff and faculty at Rucker Elementary for their stunning 31-point gain.
As anyone who has visited the campus knows, the facilities at Rucker have some quirks. There are almost as many portable classrooms as permanent ones. Instead of a cafeteria, there is a food service area and benches outside on the blacktop. The multi-purpose room can’t hold all of the students at the same time. Traffic creates a nightmare every morning and afternoon.
In spite of all the physical issues, the students of Rucker made the largest gains in the district.The future is bright for Rucker. Thanks to the generous voters who passed Measure P, we can expect an extensive modernization program to be completed in the coming years which will solve those physical problems. The Rucker GATE program, which offers all-day immersion classes to gifted and talented children from throughout the district, is a jewel for the district. And now we see that test scores for the Rucker students keep jumping.
Great job to everyone involved. Please keep up the tremendous work; we really appreciate it.
James Pace, Gilroy, proud Rucker parent
National public lands a wondrous treasure that deserve protection
Dear Editor,
This Saturday I will join thousands of Americans across the country in celebrating the 16th annual National Public Lands Day.
The National Environmental Education Foundation estimates that more than 100,000 volunteers nationwide will participate in this day by working to make our national forest and monuments, wildlife refuges and parks a better place: planting trees, repairing trails, cleaning campsites and picking trash out of rivers and wetlands.
For more than 100 years, America’s federal lands have helped to shape our culture, economy and natural environment, giving us clean water, air, magnificent places to play, and also providing refuge for our nation’s most wondrous wildlife.
One day a year simply isn’t enough to demonstrate America’s commitment to the stewardship of these special lands.
That’s why I’ve asked my U.S. Representative to support the America’s Wildlife Heritage Act. I encourage my neighbors in in my home town to do the same. This bill will help to ensure that every day our nation is doing its best to sustainably manage these precious resources for generations to come.
Martin Phillips, Gilroy
Marijuana dispensary downtown? Is that really good for Gilroy?
Dear Editor,
I can’t speak for the Gilroy Downtown Association, but for the record as a resident and downtown property owner, I am not in favor of the marijuana dispensary anywhere in town – and, particularly, in any location in or near downtown.
We all know that downtown has enough to deal with in terms of its reputation as being unkempt, dirty, crime ridden and a place where undesirables loiter. I can’t imagine how a dispensary downtown would do anything but perpetuate the prevailing perception that exists about the downtown, or for that matter, the less-than-stellar reputation the city of Gilroy has in some circles.
If you need a prescription from a licensed doctor, then it should be dispensed by licensed pharmacists, not in a dispensary that just anyone can open. If anyone believes that these dispensaries are opened by individuals solely for altruistic reasons, I have a bridge that you might be interested in buying!
Is there a sound reason why the City of Gilroy should become the first city in Santa Clara County to approve such a dispensary?
Shouldn’t we question why other cities in the county (including our closest neighbor, Morgan Hill) have adopted ordinances prohibiting them from opening in their communities. If more time is needed to find out the answers to those questions, then maybe a moratorium would be appropriate to allow the City Council the time to get feedback from residents and staff. It would be imprudent to rush a decision that has such broad implications for so many other issues that could negatively affect our community and quality of life.
Gary Walton, Gilroy
The editor awarded this letter a Golden Quill, which is given occasionally for a well-written letter.
Health care reform necessary and President Obama is handling it
Dear Editor,
President Obama has challenged Congress to pass real health care reform in 2009 that upholds three basic principles:
-Reduce costs by improving efficiency and investing in preventative care.
-Guarantee every American the right to choose their plan and doctor – including a public insurance option.
-Ensure quality, affordable care for every American.
Congress must past real health care reform in 2009.I have worked at several companies over the past 15 years that did not offer medical insurance and when I needed an operation, I had to use MediCAL. I have worked hard and paid my taxes and participated in our government. I appreciate President Obama’s desire that I will be given a choice to have health insurance that I can afford.
Lorie Webb, Gilroy
