Dear Editor,
As the members of the Gilroy Unified School District
Accountability Task Force, we are gratified to learn that the
community is interested in our work.
Dear Editor,
As the members of the Gilroy Unified School District Accountability Task Force, we are gratified to learn that the community is interested in our work. A little more than a year ago, more than 900 teachers, parents, administrators and civic leaders helped design a strategic accountability plan to enable the school district to systematically set goals, define strategies to reach those goals and monitor progress along the way. The purpose? To hold everyone in the system accountable for raising student achievement.
The Accountability Task Force was born of that plan, and serves as the community’s means to monitor district progress. Last summer, Superintendent Edwin Diaz, through newsletters, Web site and advertisements, invited anyone who was interested to join this committee. Last fall, the task force, representing every stakeholder in our town, from teachers to realtors to parents, began its work.
For a little over one year, we have had unprecedented access to district data. Each meeting, always open to the public, we delve deeply into performance results of all levels of district work. We have analyzed student performance scores on multiple assessments, student attendance patterns in every school, teacher retention rates, school, department and district plans and progress reports. No other district in California provides this kind of no-holds-barred access to its records.
The next step in our process is to report to the community in January. While we collect and review data all year long, our task force cannot begin work on our annual report until the fall, when we receive results from the last state test given the previous spring.
Once we have fully analyzed and understood the data we will be able to explain what the district has tried to do, where it has succeeded, and where it still faces challenges. In creating this process our school district has taken a bold and unparalleled step; it has created the means to hold itself accountable for meetings its goals. We look forward to presenting our findings to the community next month.
Todd Perkins, parent on behalf of Tammy Gable, principal; James Maxwell, principal; Teresa Arizmendi, teacher; Cathleen Johnson, teacher; Jim Fletcher, CSEA union representative; Kai Lai, Gilroy Chamber of Commerce board of directors; Raul Vega, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce president; Steve Kinsella, Gavilan College president; Brad Bannister, community member; Jeannie Chase, South County Realtors Association; Steve Staloch, Gilroy Dispatch publisher; Ernest Alnas, parent and Support Staff: Edwin Diaz, Jacqueline Horejs,
Rob van Herk, Diane Elia, Sergio Montenegro and Patricia Midtgaard, board president
