The Gilroy Unified School District is, once again, at a
crossroads
– although it’s important to note that the crossroads is not the
kind this community faced before, where in one direction there is
an abyss of chaos.
Looking back four years, much has been done to shore up public
education.
The Gilroy Unified School District is, once again, at a crossroads – although it’s important to note that the crossroads is not the kind this community faced before, where in one direction there is an abyss of chaos.
Looking back four years, much has been done to shore up public education.
The community has returned, almost seamlessly, to neighborhood schools. Gilroy residents have passed a well-planned local facilities bond measure which has resulted in major upgrades. Teacher training has been emphasized and the district’s test scores, which aren’t anything to write home about, have improved. There is much to be done, but progress has been made.
Now what?
Now it’s time to make the leap from progression to full speed ahead with a renewed emphasis on classroom instruction and a move away from facilities and overall district structure.
Gilroy voters will fill three of seven seats on the Board of Trustees Nov. 2. This is an opportunity for voters to solidify and communicate the direction our schools will take.
With that in mind, we’ve chosen to endorse two newcomers and one incumbent in the GUSD school board race.
Pat Midtgaard is easily our top choice. A former teacher and principal who retired in 2003 after 27 years in the district, Midtgaard is an articulate, compassionate and effective leader who knows the classroom and the system inside and out. That’s a powerful combination because her priority is clear: Effective classroom instruction makes the difference.
The positive atmosphere she created at Antonio Del Buono – for students and for staff – and the test scores that resulted from that is what needs to happen districtwide. Midtgaard will foremost be a
no-nonsense advocate for Gilroy students.
She knows how to build consensus, how to take a diverse population and turn students into educated, productive citizens, and she has enough moxie and smarts to challenge the administration if politics get in the way of a renewed focus on classroom instruction.
Gifted students as well as English language learners deserve specialized instruction in Midtgaard’s book and, in her educational universe there’s a real place for students who want to pursue vocational training.
Incumbent Jaime Rosso earns our second vote. Rosso is not a dramatic leader, and he does not serve on the board to bring attention to himself. Rather, he cares deeply about education and is willing to support the district in its numerous efforts to improve.
Rosso is not jaded – some would say to a fault. But his steadfast ability to keep an open mind on novel approaches to problem solving – like the district’s latest drive to put together an Accountability Task Force – makes him a key player in what we believe will be a good mix for the next board.
Rosso has been an advocate for increased teacher collaboration and training. He is also an important representative of Gilroy’s large Hispanic community. He should be at the table for the next four years.
Rhoda Bress is our third choice. Her compelling characteristic is that she brings a parent’s sense of urgency to solving the district’s problems. That sense of urgency, and willingness to listen to concerned parents, has been sorely lacking on the school board.
While we are concerned that her strict back-to-basics approach might cause her to dismiss important alternative educational approaches that could result in long-term sea changes in the community and classroom, it’s clear that hers is an important voice.
Bress’ candidacy is born out of frustration with the silly bureaucracy that often gets in the way of “moving the educational pile” forward. Her efforts as a member of the Academic Alliance have helped drive important changes at Gilroy High School. Reading lists are improved, and GATE classes have reappeared.
Bress believes in rigor, not esoteric platitudes that result in educational paralysis. Her outspokeness will not allow everyone to exist in the current comfort zone.
That is a good thing, yet we caution her to remember that as a leader it’s important to seek ways to build bridges not burn them.
The district needs the voice Bress provides and she will be a valuable addition to the board.
Newcomer Bob Heisey and two incumbents, John Gurich and Bob Kraemer, fall short in this race. Heisey seems not to have done his homework on the broad range of issues facing the district, starting with a grasp of California’s open meetings law. Gurich’s spotty attendance record coupled with his vote to fire a teacher without seeing her performance evaluation are enough to take him out of the running. And, on the school board and in other arenas, Kraemer has consistently exhibited a fondness for keeping the public in the dark on issues it has a right to know about – like the monetary settlement the district reached with dismissed teacher Kristen Porter. Kraemer’s service to the district has been exemplary and his vitality instrumental during the last four years. But new leaders at GUSD are needed to usher in a new era.
Pat Midtgaard, Jaime Rosso and Rhoda Bress will be catalysts for change, refocusing GUSD’s energy on the classroom experience, increasing communication with parents and dealing effectively with the many challenges facing our schools.
On Nov. 2, the best choices for our students are clear.
Editor’s note: The Dispatch’s executive editor, Mark Derry, is the son-in-law of candidate Pat Midtgaard. Derry was not involved in the candidate interview process or the selection process for endorsements.
