Four trustees must approve reconsideration at tonight?s meeting
before final vote is made in two weeks
Gilroy – Hawaii may be on the cheerleaders’ horizon after all.
Due to the persistence of one trustee the Gilroy Unified School District board has agreed to reconsider a vote that barred the varsity spirit squad from traveling to Honolulu to perform during the National Football League?s Pro Bowl.
?So it?s all gonna come down to Thursday night,? said Boardmember David McRae. ?This is a big deal.?
Two weeks ago, in a 5-2 vote, the GUSD board backed the district?s decision to not allow the team to attend the field trip since it requires missing three days of school. Trustees and district officials referred to Board Policy 6153 when making the decision.
The policy, approved in June of last year, does not specify what constitutes as ?excessive? but does seek to discourage field trips that result in a loss of class time. After earning a superior score during summer camp, the 11-member varsity squad was invited to perform at the February football game, an event in which the team has participated off and on since the 1980s.
Principal James Maxwell initially checked the ?yes? box on the field trip request form ? the snag emerged when it landed at 7810 Arroyo Circle and district officials shook their heads.
The board listened to the teams? appeal, but in the end the majority chose to side with the district. Since that decision the team has received an outpouring of support from the community.
McRae ? who along with Trustee Jim Rogers voted to let the cheerleaders attend the field trip ? requested that the board contact its lawyer and find out how to get the item back on the agenda.
?I?ve been pushing behind the scenes for how to make this legally work,? McRae said.
In order for another vote to be held a majority has to approve the reconsideration. That means, first a motion has to be made by a board member who previously voted against the field trip, and then at least four trustees must vote in favor of reconsideration.
If that happens, the board will make a final decision during the Oct. 19 meeting.
Cheerleaders were ecstatic to hear the news and thanks to their parents? optimism, the Pro Bowl is still a possibility.
?So, if they do approve it, wooh-hoo, we get to go,? said Alexis Dalke, a varsity cheerleader.
The deadline for the trip was Sept. 22, but Jeanne Baumgartner, the assistant coach, was able to finagle an extension.
Parents sent $3,300 via overnight mail to the company to secure a spot in the hopes that the board will reconsider. The company will refund half of the deposit if the squad is unsuccessful in its attempt. The total cost for all students, which they raised through a variety of fundraisers, is nearly $10,000 or $900 per cheerleader. That cost does not include airfare.
?The parents are so passionate about the fact that they want their daughters to go that they?re willing to risk the deposit,? said the squad?s coach Shirley Nunes.
But whether the two board members needed will change their minds is still a mystery. McRae said he had talked to Jaime Rosso and the trustee agreed to make the motion to reconsider.
Rosso did not return multiple calls for comment. Trustees Rhoda Bress and Tom Bundros have already said unless the trip is configured so the students don?t miss the three consecutive days, they?ll stick to their original position.
Board President Pat Midtgaard refused to commit either way simply responding ?no comment,? when asked if she may reconsider. The trustee said she?s still gathering a lot of information and reading up on the issue. Javier Aguirre, who along with Bundros are up for reelection this November, pointed out that the board has received numerous e-mails from concerned parents.
Some cheerleaders supporters said they plan to not vote for the individuals who voted against the trip in the upcoming election.
Aguirre said he would like to hear more from the cheerleaders and parents to find out why this trip is so important. Also, regardless of the outcome, the whole situation is a good lesson on how to leverage parental interest.
?We value our democratic process and here?s an opportunity to look at other reasons that we might have not heard or known the first time we voted on it,? Aguirre said.
The cheerleading team is optimistic that the vote will go in their favor. Ashley Fellows, who?s older sister went on the trip, was surprised that attending was even an issue. And once again, after hearing that the board agreed to look at the issue a second time, she was taken aback.
?I?m hoping for the best, but that?s all you can do,? said the 15-year-old.
