Dear Editor,
Community Media Access partnership, CMAP, at Gavilan College is
a wonderful program. Students from Gavilan College as well as plain
old citizens are able to take part in workshops that bring the
world of media production, editing, animation and much more to the
people of our and other local cities.
Dear Editor,
Community Media Access partnership, CMAP, at Gavilan College is a wonderful program. Students from Gavilan College as well as plain old citizens are able to take part in workshops that bring the world of media production, editing, animation and much more to the people of our and other local cities.
I am concerned that Gilroy Unified School district Superintendent Edwin Diaz and his band of “merry mis-trustees” are not already utilizing a local organization to film the happenings at school board meetings. Instead, the district willingly pays more money to a San-Jose based company – $3,400 may not seem much money to the board, but it is equivalent to 8,500 reduced-cost lunches or, the ability to feed nearly 48 underprivileged students currently on the reduced cost program for the ENTIRE year!
No wonder GUSD students are having trouble with the high school exit exam. Our district is governed by a board that has forgotten “a penny saved is a penny earned.” While teachers and parents are digging in their own purses for pencils and chalk, our district is pouring $3,400 down the drain to look better on TV. Give me a break! CMAP had reduced quality? I have home movies that are nearly 40 years old that are grainy and have slight pops and scratches in the audio. Guess what? I can hear every word, and see every facial expression and hand gesture. I am quite sure that the absolute worst CMAP production is 1,000 times better than my best home movie.
The Board can accomplish some very meaningful things for our school district quite simply by rescinding any MultiPoint Media contract and awarding the contract to CMAP with an agreement of fixed costs by CMAP. The community will benefit because the additional CMAP work will bring students additional opportunities to gain much needed education and experience as well as expanding the resume of the CMAP program. The community will benefit by the savings of a currently wasted annual expense of $3,400. The community will benefit because for once our students will finally see the GUSD board acting with common sense, financial integrity, hometown pride, and in concert with “the community.”
Too often we measure ourselves, items, concepts, or boards by their spit and polish. It is unfortunate that CMAP may not have gotten your ‘best-side’ the first time around, trustees. As concerned parents of GUSD students we have yet to see your good, let alone best, side. This is a very painless and uncomplicated opportunity for the superintendent and trustees to change that.
Ben Anderson, Gilroy
