The following organizations and individuals deserve either
CHEERS or JEERS this week:
The following organizations and individuals deserve either CHEERS or JEERS this week:
JEERS: For the news that only half of the schools in the Gilroy Unified School District met their Academic Performance Index growth goals. The job is not getting done. Superintendent Edwin Diaz is seeking a school-by-school breakdown of the scores to pinpoint the weaknesses that need to be addressed. The Gilroy School Board should press for a full report. What’s working and what’s not working is essential information if GUSD is going to turn this around. There is work to be done.
CHEERS: For the Valley Transportation Authority, Wal-Mart and Councilman Craig Gartman for getting bus service to Wal-Mart’s front door. What seems like a no-brainer – delivering employees and shoppers to the huge new store on Gilroy’s east side – wasn’t. After the obvious flaw was made public, Gartman and other advocates spoke out, and eventually Wal-Mart agreed to allow the heavy buses into its parking lot. It’s refreshing when common sense and political will prevail to solve a problem in short order.
JEERS: For the City of Gilroy, which for more than a decade ignored the pleas of Doris Kallas, 90, and her now-deceased husband to fix the curb and gutter damaged by street-tree roots in front of their home on Eigleberry Street. The city finally stepped up last week and got busy. Perhaps what’s needed is for everyone to threaten legal action until the city understands it better fix the problem citywide or face a class-action lawsuit.
CHEERS: For the city council which has directed the revamping of criteria for the $100,000 in assistance given to community groups annually. The new rules will give priority to direct-aid programs for those who need food and shelter.
JEERS: For County of Santa Clara officials who shout about budget deficits and financial woes, then recruit county workers to man election polling places by reminding them they will be paid twice, for their county work and their polling work. It’s theater of the absurd, and a drama that Supervisor Don Gage and County Executive Pete Kutras should re-write right away.
COMMUNITY CHEER: For the Morgan Hill/Gilroy Operation Interdependence volunteers, who gathered and packaged more than 650 c-rations for the troops. And cheers for Nob Hill Foods, which set up a wonderful display that brought in many needed granola bars to fill the baggies. Triple cheers to the many dentists who donated dental supplies. And quadruple cheers for the countless community members who wrote letters and gave products and money to get words of support to our troops during the holidays.
Residents are invited to submit a “Community Cheer” for consideration to the Dispatch editorial board. Please e-mail it to ed****@ga****.com. Thanks to Susan Hamilton for this week’s “Community Cheer.”school-by-school breakdown of the scores tht
