Would our community be better off if there were five school
trustees on the Gilroy Unified Board instead of the current
seven?
THIS WEEK’S WEB POLL:
Would our community be better off if there were five school trustees on the Gilroy Unified Board instead of the current seven?
Yes
3
No
7
â– Yes, that should help cut the red tape of decision making. n Yes. There are only two school districts with 7 members — GUSD and Morgan Hill. Our board also receives the second highest compensation in the county, and the third highest per trustee payments in the county so this move will be an excellent cost savings. It may also shorten Board meetings, which would be another bonus. â– Really not sure about this. Going to say No. â– Only 5 are needed. Milpitas Unified has 10,000 students; East Side HSD has 26,000 students; San Jose Unified has 32,000 students; all with only 5 trustees. What is GUSD (11,000 students) doing wrong that requires two additional board members? n Seven is an appropriate number for a school district of this size.
â– No! There are 7 people on the City Council. Why is this even an issue? â– I prefer the 7. It gives us more input and points of view. â– No, 7 should give a very diverse decision making body. Five just isn’t enough for an entity such as GUSD. â– No. Seven insures greater diversity and reduces the likelihood of infallible “groupthink.” â– On the one hand, there would be fewer voices to harmonize. On the other, there would be fewer trustees to appear at school functions and other public events. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. I am opposed to changing the number of seats. â– I am not sure we would be better off, however it would save the district money in wages and benefits. We have a pretty good board as it stands!
Vote in
