Letters
Teachers deserve more
I was dismayed to read the letters from Jim Carlisle and Max and Suzanne Dunn in the May 15 issue of the Courier. Before the teachers decided to go to their contractual 7.25 hour workday, they too had worked "nine to 10 hour days," 5 to 7 days a week. Probably not as many hours on the weekend, but my sister, who is a teacher, comes to Sunday dinner with papers to grade and lesson plans to prepare so she can teach a diverse set of students with different personalities and learning abilities on limited resources. Teachers also deal with parents with expectations to not only teach the basic ABCs but also reinforce and police social values that only some parents teach.
Having summers off is a separate issue. But if we did have school for 12 months and increased teacher wages to compensate, it would still not be close to what "other professionals" make. Do you think engineers contribute to our society as richly as these teachers, who are shaping our future generation? While it's nice to have the latest technology, with these dedicated, hardworking teachers to provide our kids the foundation needed, our children can one day, if they choose, become an engineer.
Teaching is a gift and a core competency, which for some reason we as a society don't recognize and reward appropriately. What these teachers are asking for is fair compensation, as they contribute not only to children but to our society as well.
The Dunns suggest that teachers "put the children first" regardless of their pay. I challenge parents to do just that. If your kids aren't getting homework, parents, give them homework. Just because there's no homework, or papers aren't being graded right away, doesn't mean children aren't learning what they need to in the classroom. I believe teachers are still putting the children first, and as parents we need to support them, not make them feel bad because they won't extend themselves by continuing to work without a contract. Find out the details of the negotiations and help provide a solution!
Elaine Yee
Ann Arbor Court
What's basic aid?
In the article "The impasse continues with board and teachers" in the May 15 issue of the Courier, there was a quote from William Bragg stating "Palo Alto is a basic aid district, which means it receives about 50 percent more funding per student." And the article went on to quote the difference in student funding between the two districts. However, the article made no attempt to explain the discrepancy even a little bit. What does "basic aid" mean? Why can't CUSD become a "basic aid" district and get more funding? Why is the affluent Palo Alto district funded at such a higher rate? I understand that the "issues are complex" but these are such obvious questions, given the quote. I was disappointed in the reporting. Generally the reporting is much better in the Courier.
Roger Schuelke
Greenleaf Drive
De Anza facilities expanding 13 percent, not 30 percent
The citizens of Cupertino have always shown a great deal of support for De Anza College, which opened its doors in the fall of 1967. For instance, voters overwhelmingly passed Measure E in the fall of 1999 to help the college update and expand its aging facilities to meet student and community needs through 2010.
Unfortunately some misinformation was communicated in the article "De Anza plans sizeable expansion of campus" in the May 15 issue of the Courier regarding Measure E and our plans for campus facilities. Our Measure E expansion will not increase the physical capacity by 30 percent. As we told the city council on May 6, our college will realize a net increase of 147,260 gross square feet, as we describe in our environmental impact report (EIR). That means our physical capacity to educate students will increase 13 percent, not your stated 30 percent.
In addition, De Anza officials have never stated that there will be 281 new campus jobs as a result of Measure E. If history is our guide, in the last seven years we have added only 52 full-time equivalent jobs. In fact, we are dependent on declining state support right now.
In terms of students, our Educational Master Plan and EIR state that we expect about 30,000 students to enroll at De Anza by the year 2010. However, it also states that we are planning for a third campus site at NASA and now annually serve about 11,000 students in distance-learning classes via the web and television. These students do not come to campus for those classes because they find them more convenient to access from home or from their workplaces. Many other factors influence student enrollment, including the economy and how difficult it is to find employment. We continue to attract many students because of our rich course offerings as well as our outstanding programs and services.
Our enrollment peaked in 1989 at 27,138 students. Back then it was widely known that De Anza's student population made it the largest single-campus community college in the nation, even though the city of Cupertino at that time was less populated and had fewer businesses. As Cupertino grew, De Anza's student population actually dropped to 22,915 students in 1994. At the present time, the college has an enrollment of about 26,000 students.
When it comes to researching information about De Anza College, feel free to call us at any time. We want Cupertino residents to know the facts.
Martha J. Kanter
De Anza College President
Role models still needed
Thank you for the article "Program sets a good example" in the May 15 issue of the Courier on the Role Model Program. As the article showed, both the kids we serve and our volunteers learn a lot from our classroom visits.
We dare kids to dream about their future, and provide skills to help them achieve their dreams. Our program helps to keep kids in school and away from gangs, drugs and violence.
One point that the article didn't address is that we are currently limited in our ability to serve every middle school in Santa Clara County. We really need more adult volunteers, especially from Cupertino, in order to serve the community. I encourage readers to join us in helping kids make good choices. To volunteer or learn more, please contact me at dolly@dollysandoval.com or call The Role Model Program at 408.246.0433.
Dolly Sandoval
Chairwoman, The Role Model Program and Cupertino City Councilwoman
Cupertino, California Since 1947
