Dear Editor:
In his April 14 column, Dennis Taylor refers to the recently
organized Gilroy High School Parent Club as a
”
punch line waiting for a joke.
”
He finds it humorous that Kim Lemos, a former GHS teacher, and
Mark Zappa, a well-known conservative, are supportive of the Parent
Club given their involvement in the Alliance For Academic
Excellence.
Dear Editor:
In his April 14 column, Dennis Taylor refers to the recently organized Gilroy High School Parent Club as a “punch line waiting for a joke.” He finds it humorous that Kim Lemos, a former GHS teacher, and Mark Zappa, a well-known conservative, are supportive of the Parent Club given their involvement in the Alliance For Academic Excellence. As GHS Parent Club officers and members of The Alliance, we assure Mr. Taylor that the goals of these two organizations are not in conflict. He has misinformed his readers by implying otherwise.
We want to set the record straight. The GHS Parent Club is a high school organization that draws its membership from the parent community. It supports teachers and students through fundraising and volunteer efforts on campus. The Alliance For Academic Excellence is independent of GUSD and open to parents, teachers, and community members who wish to advocate for academic rigor at the high school. Given these descriptions, it should not surprise anyone that some parents belong to both groups.
Kim Lemos and Mark Zappa have given generously to the Parent Club and we thank them for their efforts. Mr. Taylor’s remarks are insulting to these two parents.
If Mr. Taylor wants to be taken seriously as a columnist, he needs to be diligent in his fact finding. To date he has ignored The Alliance’s offer to meet and discuss GHS issues. Yet, he has felt very comfortable representing its views, erroneously we might add. Once again, he has not done the necessary research on a chosen topic, resulting in some mean-spirited comments.
In order to become informed and thus better serve his readers, we invite Mr. Taylor to visit the Parent Club booth at the GHS Spring Faire tonight from 6 to 8:30 p.m. There he will find no punch lines and no jokes, but a dedicated group of parents trying to make a positive contribution to Gilroy High School.
Rhoda Bress and Jackie Stevens, Gilroy
Submitted Tuesday, April 27 to ed****@****ic.com
