The following organizations and individuals deserve either
CHEERS or JEERS this week:
JEERS: For the slow pace set by the staff at Gilroy High and the
administration of Gilroy Unified to incorporate Edline into the
high school routine for teachers.
The following organizations and individuals deserve either CHEERS or JEERS this week:
JEERS: For the slow pace set by the staff at Gilroy High and the administration of Gilroy Unified to incorporate Edline into the high school routine for teachers. Communication is key to success. Helping the students become successful at the high school should be a top priority. Why isn’t there a sense of urgency to get this done? Why isn’t there pressure from the school board? Why isn’t the parent club standing in front of the board demanding a plan to complete this within a few months? Putting homework, attendance, course outlines, email and class assignments on the Web for student and parent access shouldn’t take years. And, frankly, we’re tired of hearing about the “75 minutes” a week specified in the contract to do “extra” work. Most dedicated teachers – and there are plenty – don’t pay any attention, thankfully, to that silly rule. And it’s worth reminding everyone in our community that teachers work 184 days a year per the contract. That’s 36.8 five-day weeks out of a 52-week year. Let’s stop the nonsense and start really focusing on student achievement.
CHEERS: For the Gilroy City Council which is at long last ready to once again take up the issue of binding arbitration added to the city charter by the voters in the late ’80s. Clearly, things have changed and the sugar-coated sales job the Council swallowed from the Public Employees Retirement System representatives when police officers were given the “3-at-50” retirement benefits have cost the city plenty. If the firefighters, currently in contract negotiations, use binding arbitration to secure a like benefit, the costs to the city will be astronomical.
JEERS: For the Bonfante Gardens Board which, incredibly, refuses to provide pertinent financial information to the Gilroy community while simultaneously requesting favors and special treatment. We’re reminded often that “Bonfante Gardens” belongs to the community. If that’s so, then why aren’t the financial affairs an open book? Refusing to disclose, for example, how much is in the park’s reserve fund only muddies the water for residents trying to discern if additional city favors for Bonfante are worth the risk.
CHEERS: For the opportunity to add a few bucks to the property tax bill and support our public library system. A mail-in ballot is coming soon to your home. You will have two choices, one to extend the current tax, $33.66 per year, for 10 years and one to add an additional $12 a year to that total. Isn’t $46 a year a bargain for a great library system?
