I’ve been listening to the feedback we have received through
newspaper, email, and face-to-face conversations on the subject of
the field trip to Hawaii.
I’ve been listening to the feedback we have received through newspaper, email, and face-to-face conversations on the subject of the field trip to Hawaii.
Generally, Board business doesn’t attract much community participation unless an issue comes up that people are upset about. What is sad to me is that the district’s “status-quo” deserves as much passion – if not more, than the passion I’ve seen demonstrated on this field trip.
We spend 80 million of your hard earned tax dollars to prepare our children to be literate, strong, autonomous adults with the skills needed to prosper – not just survive – when they graduate. Unfortunately, only 38 percent of our high school students are proficient in English language arts and 17 percent proficient in math.
Although I’ll admit that students who participate in extra-curricular activities tend to be more motivated than those who do not, it would be a stretch to say that the students who participate in extra-curricular activities represent 100 percent of the 17 percent of students proficient in math. Do you know if your daughter is proficient in math?
No Child Left Behind expects 100 percent of students to be proficient by 2014, with strong and expensive penalties if schools don’t perform to a steep year-to-year road map of improvement.
Although this district is improving, we are not accelerating fast enough to meet NCLB requirements; some of our schools are already in “Program Improvement” and more could join them unless we make significant improvement in our academic programs and students are motivated to take full advantage of them.
Many people have commented noted that students must meet a 2.0 grade point average in order to participate in extra-curricular activities. I submit to you that a 2.0 GPA is not an indicator of proficiency. A 2.0 is a “C”; a “C” means “average”, and “average” for this district means “not proficient.” Do you know if your daughter is proficient in English language arts?
Many people have expressed concern about the impact to the spirit team’s self esteem if they do not go on this trip. Maybe a three-day field trip can supplement and enrich that what is being taught in the classroom – but that shouldn’t be a “slam dunk.” There should be some thought and deliberation about that – otherwise why are we spending $80 million? What are we telling our teachers and administrators? What are we telling our students? Please re-read the letters by Jamie Bradshaw (Oct 4), and by Board Member Rhoda Bress (Sept 30).
Please reflect on the lasting impact to your daughter’s self-esteem if once she graduates from Gilroy High School she finds that she doesn’t have the skills needed to qualify for an interesting, well-paying job with which to support herself and her family, and to take you and your grandchildren to Hawaii to celebrate your 30th wedding anniversary.
Reflect also on the impact on your daughter’s self-esteem when she discovers that despite a shiny, new graduation diploma, she is not prepared to do well in college, she gets discouraged and drops out. I’m not saying this will happen (I pray that it won’t) but it is a high statistical probability.
The Board of Education needs your help, suggestions, blood, sweat and even tears to turn GUSD into a place that prepares our children to graduate into a bright and exciting future; to thrive, prosper and be positioned to support themselves, their families and give back to their community. That is my dream for our sons and daughters; that is the life I want for each and every one of them. That is the vision behind my comment that there is a “life after high school.”
There is a rich and abundant life after high school for those that work hard and take advantage of every second of the academic programs we provide. Do you know if your daughters and sons are proficient in science and history?
My challenges to you (and I expect to see your letters in the paper and emails that you are doing this and what you discover):
1. Are your students proficient in all subjects? Put pressure on them to become so, if they are not.
2. Find out and reflect deeply on whether your students are prepared to succeed in college or succeed in an exciting job after graduation from high school.
3. If they are not being prepared well, contribute your suggestions, blood and sweat to help fix that. If they are being prepared well, help us to prepare the other 83 percent of students that are not proficient in math.
Thank you.
Tom Bundros is a GUSD school board trustee, candidate for election and father. Five of his children graduated from Gilroy High School. Interested in writing a guest column? Contact Editor Mark Derry at 842-6400.
