New board member plans to reach out to Hispanic community and
reduce achievement gap
Gilroy – Javier Aguirre can easily be classified as a homegrown success. The youngest son of two Mexican immigrants, Aguirre managed to beat the odds, becoming the first in his family to graduate from college.
His Spanish-speaking parents would often drag he and his three siblings out to fields so they could get a taste of what it was like to earn a living through hard work.
The point came across clearly to Aguirre. Although two of his older siblings attended Gavilan College and never transferred to four-year universities, he was determined to earn a degree. Another brother is mentally disabled and lives with their parents.
A Gilroy High School teacher – who had attended Stanford – really pushed him to apply to Stanford. Also, Celia Marquez, a former GHS counselor who now works at Gavilan, helped him along the way. Aguirre said he also was inspired by his family’s insistence that he go to college, particularly his mother.
“She really (wanted) us to do well in school because she didn’t want us to have just an ordinary job,” he said.
Aguirre, now a husband and father, earned degrees from Stanford University and Loyola Law School. He has served as senior policy aide to Santa Clara County Supervisor Blanca Alvarado for the past five-and-a-half years.
The Gilroy native didn’t pass the State Bar but he doesn’t plan to take the grueling test again since he enjoys working in the public sector and plans to stay put.
But Aguirre’s personal accomplishments weren’t the talk of the town after the Gilroy Unified School District board voted 4-2 to appoint him to fill in the remainder of TJ Owens’ term. Owens, who died in October, had one year left of his term.
Instead, Aguirre’s appointment sparked a debate about racism and quotas and whether he was selected solely because of his ethnicity. The brunt of the controversy was caused by one question directed at Bob Heisey, one of the four candidates vying for the open seat, asking “The Gilroy Unified School District is made up of over 60 percent Latino students. Shouldn’t the board reflect this reality?”
District officials and community members have weighed in on the debate, some saying the question was inappropriate and should have been pulled, while others claim it was a legitimate inquiry.
Aguirre, 32, sides with the latter group but he wants to help heal the bruises by reaching out to those who sit on the other side.
“I think it’s unfortunate that individuals saw this or saw the question as dividing the community,” he said. “I look forward to hearing more of Bob Heisey and Denise Apuzzo’s views.”
Apuzzo, a Dispatch columnist and parent, and Heisey have both said the question should have been pulled. Apuzzo and other community members say Heisey is more experienced, that he understands the issues GUSD is facing and that he’s been attending school board meetings regularly for the past year.
During the public interview and since his appointment Aguirre has been deflecting criticism about his shoddy attendance record. Aguirre said he respects Heisey’s commitment but said he thinks his experience with attending Gilroy public schools and serving on the El Portal Charter School board are sufficient.
Rather than focusing on the past, the Gilroy High School graduate wants the district to begin moving forward and dig into a list of goals before his term expires next year and he’s up for reelection. Reducing the achievement gap between Hispanics and whites is one of his major concerns.
In October, locals learned that that 11 of Gilroy’s 12 schools increased their Academic Performance Index scores. But when Hispanics, blacks and the poor were factored in only half of the schools even met the API growth targets set by the state for 2004-2005.
Those are the numbers Aguirre hopes to shake up by establishing 90-minute reading periods for English language learners and using his Spanish skills to reach out to Hispanic families in the community who may have felt alienated or too intimidated to become involved in the past.
Aguirre also wants to see the district’s average SAT scores climb and increase the Advanced Placement tests passing rate.
The new trustee also plans to put his experience in the public sector to good use by helping the board tap into more non-traditional sources of revenue such as grants and funding from local businesses.
Mainly, Aguirre wants to ensure that every student who leaves the GUSD received a stellar education and know that they have the potential to make it to college.
“Because schools are the fabric of our society,” he said. “And having a well-educated workforce is an asset to the City of Gilroy.”
Javier Aguirre
– Age: 32
– Family: Married two years to Angie Aguirre, six-month-old son named
Isaac Aguirre
– Profession: Senior policy aide to Santa Clara County Supervisor Blanca Alvarado in San Jose
– Education: Gilroy High School;
Bachelor’s from Stanford University;
Juris Doctorate, Loyola Law School
– Community involvement: GUSD board, El Portal Charter School advisory board, Gilroy Foundation board advisor, Teatro Vision board member
