Dear Editor:
The Gilroy Unified School District administration is talking out
of both sides of its mouth again with regard to its support of the
Gifted And Talented Education programs.
Dear Editor:
The Gilroy Unified School District administration is talking out of both sides of its mouth again with regard to its support of the Gifted And Talented Education programs.
There are two forms of GATE in GUSD: One is an “enrichment” program which consists of after-school classes taught by volunteers at most elementary schools. The other is the “whole track” GATE program at Rucker School, where students spend their entire day in classes taught by teachers trained and experienced with the special needs and challenges of academically advanced students.
While both programs are valuable, the district seems determined to quietly kill Rucker’s whole-track GATE program through systemic inattention.
While the district says that it supports GATE, its actions tell another story.
Last year GATE testing was done much later than in prior years, and the test results were not mailed to parents until the end of the school year.
As a result, transfers into the GATE program at Rucker were dramatically reduced. Teachers in the GATE program were told that some of their classes were being cancelled due to a lack of interest. Over the past year some attention has been focused on this issue by various articles and letters to the editor in The Dispatch, which has resulted in some lukewarm support for Rucker’s GATE program at the district level.
Parents and teachers were told that the delays that hampered the program last year would not happen again this year. However, contrary to their words, the district is headed for a repeat performance.
We were told that the testing would happen in January; testing did not begin until late February. We were told that results would be made available within two weeks and, when that didn’t happen, we were told that they would be available in time for the Rucker open house; we have yet to see the test results. When the GATE teachers and parents, who have put a great deal of time and effort into preparing for the open house, wanted to mail out their own invitations, the district refused the offer, and instead sent out it’s own letter.
The district letter arrived Saturday, and while it invites parents of tested students to attend the open house, it amazingly did not give the date (Thursday, April 29).
While there was time to send out a second letter, no action was taken. In addition, some parents whose children were tested did not receive the letter.
We have heard from parents who were completely unaware of the Rucker GATE program, who would have had their students tested if they had known. At least one parent told me that they were actively discouraged from having their child tested by a teacher or administrator at another school. They were told “It’s not a good program” and “It may be cancelled anyway.”
Rucker’s GATE program used to have a waiting list. According to people at the junior high level, Rucker students were the best prepared for junior high thanks in large part to the GATE program. Now, since the inception of the attendance area schools, the GATE program at Rucker is slowly being strangled to death. The district must not hold back any student from reaching their full potential. The district must recognize this problem and take corrective action by fully supporting GATE.
Phil Allen, Gilroy
Submitted Wednesday, April 28 to ed****@****ic.com
