There are promises made and there are broken promises. In 1980,
then-candidate Ronald Reagan was campaigning in the South Bronx and
he stood in front of a building on which the words
”
Broken Promises
”
had been stenciled.
There are promises made and there are broken promises. In 1980, then-candidate Ronald Reagan was campaigning in the South Bronx and he stood in front of a building on which the words “Broken Promises” had been stenciled. I have carried that image with me for more than 20 years. I remember the image because I am related to the artist who painted those words. I also remember the image because 1980 was the first time I was old enough to vote for president.
The photograph of our future president against the backdrop of these words is a fitting paean to American politics. I was young then, and not yet jaded. I didn’t know then that public service was not the primary motivation for people who sought elected office.
I have learned a lot since. I’ve lived through a series of presidents who were seriously flawed; some intellectually and others morally. I’ve come to believe that too many politicians are criminals who wouldn’t cut it in an actual crime family. I’ve come to expect broken promises.
Our new governor is guilty of breaking promises already. Because of his higher education cutbacks, this year’s California high school graduates are scrambling to get into the college of their choice. In 1960, the State of California wrote a Master Plan for Education, which was hailed nationwide as a model.
The plan, which was updated in 2002, promised that public universities and colleges would be accessible and affordable to students. Graduating in the top 10 percent of your class used to guarantee you a spot at one of the UC campuses. But that changed when the governor made a deal to save money. Those UC campuses will not be accepting all the eligible students. All the UC campuses and CSU campuses will be scaling back admissions by 10 percent.
They will try to convince many of those disappointed graduates to attend community college with a guaranteed transfer in their junior year. I am not knocking two year colleges; there is plenty of need for good community colleges. But a guarantee, a sure-thing is gone. This was a sure-thing that could only be attained by hard work, extra effort and diligence.
When it comes to education, we are getting squeezed by both the federal government and the state. It is time to admit that we can’t afford any more broken promises.
For every promise broken by a politician, a promise is fulfilled by a teacher. Last month, I had the pleasure of meeting a remarkable teacher at Gilroy High School. Jeanie Romanof is a science teacher in the Special Education Department at Gilroy High School. I met her at the spring fair last month, and she recruited me to help out at the first ever GHS Special Education Science Fair.
This science fair was fabulous. The young scientists did a wonderful job, and the projects showed a high degree of sophistication. I was impressed with Ms. Romanof the moment she told me that she sets the bar high for her students. With clear expectations, these students rose to the challenge.
The staff and students who participated in Science Fair should be very proud of their accomplishments. I am looking forward to many more science fairs at the high school.
And finally, I must acknowledge another promise kept this year. It took a long time and more patience than I can muster, but Gilroy Unified School District will unveil the long-awaited Middle School Play this weekend.
More than 60 students from Solarsano, Brownell and South Valley middle schools have been working for more than three months on a 1950s musical called “Rock Around the Block.” Under the direction of Pepe Espinosa and his able assistant Zoi Amaya Alvarez, this show is sure to be a big hit. When I sat at those middle school parent meetings last summer talking about enrichment options, I didn’t quite imagine so many ponytails and poodle skirts.
The challenge of working with this high energy group of students is not lost on me. I hope this musical is the start of an ongoing cooperative program for all of the middle school students in Gilroy. It has been fun watching these kids get it all together. If you are free this weekend, performances are at the GHS theater on Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Hop on over for a dose of ’50s fun from a kids point of view.
