Dear Editor:
When my daughter came home from school and told me that the
school district was letting Mr. Duarte, the agriculture teacher, go
at the end of the school year I was, to say the least, angry. I am
a strong supporter of the Future Farmers of America and the ag
program.
Dear Editor:
When my daughter came home from school and told me that the school district was letting Mr. Duarte, the agriculture teacher, go at the end of the school year I was, to say the least, angry. I am a strong supporter of the Future Farmers of America and the ag program.
My daughter is a current member of the FFA and I am an FFA alumni. How can the school board do this? We finally get a teacher after Mr. Kuntz who believes in the program and is willing to give of his own time – not just the time he is paid for – to promote and support the program – even going so far as to take classes to get his bus driving license to save the school and the ag program from having to hire outside drivers to take the kids to the extracurricular activities. Why would the school board make such a bad decision?
Then I found out that a total of 20 to 21 teachers are going to be let go by the end of the year. Outraged, I went to the school board meeting. I thought that at the very least I would fight for the ag program I so strongly believe in… If the school board continues to change the ag teacher every year or two the ag program, which has always been so strong at Gilroy High, will eventually and inevitably disappear.
I arrived at the board meeting an hour early thinking seating would be limited. Surely every other parent in Gilroy must be as outraged as I am. Indeed all the seats were filled. However, to my surprise, supporters of the FFA and ag program took about 95 percent of the seats. Where was everyone else? Do the residents of Gilroy simply not care if their children get an education? When did we decide that educating our children is no longer important? More importantly, when did our great state decide that educating our children is no longer important?
Remember when school was a place kids wanted to be? I do. I remember when every student took an art class, weather it was band, drawing or even choir. I remember when every student took a vocational education class, whether it was cooking, typing or ag. I remember when the library was open all the time, even during lunch break and after school. I remember when there was more than one working bathroom, and they all had toilet paper, paper towels and, can you believe it, hand soap. I remember when teachers were given all the necessary supplies to teach their students.
Why are these things just a memory – my memories, not my children’s? Their memories are and will be … remember when I was in school and there weren’t enough teachers and we had to have 40-plus kids in the class and I had to sit on the floor … remember how my mom and dad had to pay a tutor to teach me math and reading … remember how I had to take a prescription muscle relaxer because I had to carry all my supplies on my back?
So now I ask not when but why has our state decided that educating our children is not important? Why have we as voters allowed our schools to become so inadequate and dilapidated? When are we as parents, grandparents and students going to stand up and say ENOUGH? Or are we simply going to remain with our heads in the sand until education itself is just a memory.
Carrie Barreras, Gilroy
Submitted Monday, March 10 to ed****@****ic.com
