Four trustees of the Gilroy Unified School District’s
seven-member board are up for re-election
Gilroy – The majority of school board seats are available this fall and at least three locals are set to run.
Gilroy Unified School District trustee Javier Aguirre and Denise Apuzzo, a local Realtor, have both confirmed their plan to vie for one of the four open seats in the November election.
Ardy Ghoreishi, a father who volunteers for various district committees including the Christopher High School Steering Committee, was unavailable for comment as of Tuesday but he did pull papers from the county Registrar’s office and recently said he plans to run.
Incumbents Aguirre, Tom Bundros, David McRae and Jim Rogers, are all up for reelection. Bundros was unavailable as of press time.
While board member Rogers – who has served on the board for eight years – is still undecided, Thursday McRae corroborated rumors that he won’t seek a second term.
“I thought about it a lot and it’s been a great experience, but I want to pursue stand-up comedy with more emphasis,” he said.
McRae endured constant criticism on the pages of this newspaper, from both the editorial board and local columnists, for his opinions. He was recently blasted for voicing his support of the district’s proposed math plan that some teachers called incomplete.
But McRae, who performs his stand-up locally, in San Francisco and San Jose, said the constant commentary didn’t drive his decision. The desire to use any free time to pursue his comedy dream and his perspective on public service, were the two motivating factors.
“I don’t believe in career politicians,” he said.
Instead he thinks citizens should step up, help by lending their perspective and free time, and then step down. There are many “great citizens” living within the district’s boundaries that will be able to lend a fresh perspective to the board, McRae said.
For Aguirre – currently serving the remainder of Trustee TJ Owens’ term after being appointed by the board in December – throwing his hat in the ring was the perfect next step of his civic duty.
Owens, who died suddenly in October, was up for reelection this fall.
“I look forward to serving a full-term on the school board,” he said during a Thursday morning interview. “It’s an opportunity to give back to the Gilroy Unified School District.”
If elected, the Gilroy native has a host of ideas he hopes are realized. He’d like to see homework centers up and running at every school site. Aguirre nabbed the idea from San Jose, where he said the all-volunteer after school program is a success.
Volunteers commit to one or two hours and students would be free to drop-in for extra help. Aguirre, who serves as senior policy aide for Santa Clara County Supervisor Blanca Alvarado and is married with one young child, would like to set up a pilot program next school year.
Another idea he’s trying to get rolling, is setting up an organized Gilroy High School alumni base. He’d like to see successful products of the local school system to donate their time or money to GHS.
His plan is to keep an updated database of alumni and begin a speaker series in the fall and alumni donation campaign in the spring. Also, while the new high school is being built Aguirre wants the architects to incorporate a quad of bricks etched with family names.
The bricks would, of course, be purchased for a fee. Although Aguirre has learned quite a few lessons during his eight-months on the board – to be prepared, ask the right questions and always do your homework – he’s excited to pick up even more.
“I’m still learning,” he said. “Being on the school board is a learning experience everyday.
Anyone who attends local school board meetings knows Apuzzo’s face. The mother of three rarely misses a meeting and is actively involved in the local school system.
Apuzzo decided to run because as a parent with children currently enrolled in Gilroy schools – her daughter attends Brownell Middle School and her son and older daughter are GHS students – she thinks she’ll lend a much-needed perspective to the board.
Trustee Rhoda Bress was the only boardmember whose child attended a local public school and he graduated in June, Apuzzo pointed out.
And “very often I feel like she’s the only voice of reason,” she said.
While Apuzzo said she thinks every member serving on the board is doing so with good intentions, she thinks it’s important to have a parent with children in the classroom, among the mix.
Apuzzo wants to see the district take action to remedy its low math scores but she doesn’t think the proposed math plan is the answer. She wants teachers and parents, the people who are intimately involved with students, to have more input.
The Realtor also thinks that the parental voice is the quietest contributor in the district and that needs to change. Many parents don’t have the time to volunteer to serve on committees but they would like to be heard and have their questions answered.
“They (the district) need to be in touch with and aware of what parent’s concerns are,” Apuzzo said.
