Trustees will consider implementing ideas they learned at recent
conference
Gilroy – Vocational and specialized English classes are two big changes that could come to Gilroy Unified School District, say trustees who attended a recent California School Board Association’s annual conference in San Francisco.
Board trustees will meet Saturday to discuss a variety of workshops they recently attended and how to implement strategies and programs they learned about.
“I think we all tried to attend workshops on issues specific to GUSD so that we could make the most of our time at the conference,” said Trustee Rhoda Bress. “I think one of the workshops I found most helpful was about the Early Assessment Program through (California State University). I think it will be good to discuss with the rest of the board how we can tie that program in with our district.”
Pat Midtgaard, board president, agreed that the EAP workshop was a highlight of the conference held last weekend. She plans to present information from the workshop to Edwin Diaz, GUSD’s superintendent. The program tests high-school juniors to assess if they’re on their way to being prepared for college-level math and English courses. If students are unprepared, they can attend specialized English classes in their senior year that will help them get up to speed. If students are behind in math, the program encourages them to take a math class during their senior year, which is currently not required. The program also provides math modules online for struggling students.
“We not only want to make sure our students can get into college, we want to make sure they can do the work when they get there; I think the Early Assessment Program could be a comprehensive, wonderful resource for our district,” Bress said.
Bress said recent statistics from Gavilan College showing just 0.62 of Gilroy High School seniors tested into college-level math was one reason she attended the EAP workshop.
The workshop on California’s Regional Occupational Program could effect changes to GHS’s list of classes. Trustee Tom Bundros said he was impressed by the range of courses and advantages ROP could provide for Gilroy students.
“I’m really excited about what a partnership with our high school and the ROP could mean,” he said. “The offerings at schools with ROP are much broader than ours, and I think the classes would be attractive to a wide distribution of students. Each our 2,400 high school students is different, and it’s important to keep them all interested. The ROP could help us offer a wider menu, if you will, for these students to choose from and maybe those classes could be what gets the kids excited to go to school.”
ROP offers hands-on vocational classes ranging from culinary arts and cosmetology to forensics and accounting.
Francisco Dominguez, who will be sworn in as a new board member next week, was working at the conference independently, but took the time to attend a few workshops, including one on the Brown Act, California’s open meeting law.
“I’m fairly familiar with the law because I’ve served on school boards before, but it’s good to stay updated and see if there have been any changes,” he said. “It’s an important law – it’s what any elected body needs to follow. They gave us information about the rules a board needs to adhere to, so I’ll make sure to provide copies to the other members if needed.”
An update on the Brown Act could prove valuable, as the board’s school-naming committee recently violated the Brown Act by not posting an agenda within the proper window of time prior to the meeting.
Trustee Javier Aguirre attended a pre-conference symposium on student and school “connectedness” featuring a professor from Johns Hopkins University. The professor presented data and research showing that students who feel connected to school and their classes will be more successful.
“I learned a lot about how the school board can support and facilitate that connection,” Aguirre said. “I’ll be curious to visit classrooms and see if some of these techniques are already in place and to see if we can make some changes to make sure students feel that connection. I plan to talk to (GHS principal) James Maxwell and to the superintendent about what I learned because I think it’s important.”
The conference also provided opportunities to talk with other schools’ board members to compare notes and network, Aguirre added.
Trustee Jaime Rosso and student Trustee Bryan Walker also attended the conference.
Kelly Savio is a staff writer for South Valley Newspapers. Reach her at (408) 842-2205.
