Though the debate has sometimes been shrill, there is ample
reason to believe progress has been made regarding the Gilroy High
School reading list.
Though the debate has sometimes been shrill, there is ample reason to believe progress has been made regarding the Gilroy High School reading list.
As a community, Gilroy seems to be striking a balanced, if uneasy, consensus: cultural diversity within the reading list is a significant factor, but literary quality should not be sacrificed to achieve it.
It’s been an important debate.
Many parents believe the Gilroy School District has for years dumbed down expectations and hidden behind the veil of cultural diversity failing to set high expectations for students. Other parents believe a cultural connection within the education system is important to acknowledge and establish – especially for the many Latino students.
Getting to a situation where it’s a win-win – where cultural diversity is acknowledged and students expectation is high – surely wasn’t going to be easy. But the process has been, if painful at times, rewarding in that it has yielded an improved reading list for next year and a commitment to an ongoing scrutiny of that list.
What we didn’t and don’t need in this debate is what happened at the school board meeting where the new and improved reading list was passed.
Former councilwoman Guadalupe Arellano should know better than to repeatedly shout at someone someone expressing their opinion at the podium, “Don’t be racist,” from her seat in the audience. Board President Jaime Rosso did the right thing – banging his gavel to stop the disrespectful display. But shame on Arellano for this unnecessary and shrill outburst.
It isn’t necessary to start a cultural war to come to a reasoned consensus on this issue. And using the “race card” in such a way cheapens the process.
The solution is for everyone to listen and fashion a reasonable compromise. This isn’t a call for everyone to “just get along.” Rather, it’s an acknowledgment that there can be sharp disagreements in a sensitive area that need to be resolved within a context that everyone should be in agreement on: high expectations for our students.
The quicker we get to that place of agreement, the faster our students will improve. Let’s debate the issues that come up, but let’s make certain we keep that clear mission top of mind.
