When I read the headline of your recent article "What's the school board recall movement really about?" I thought (and hoped) that the Courier had finally done some real research and discovered where the problem actually lies. I was deeply disappointed to find a one-sided, shallow report depicting the complaints of a small group of people who have turned their personal vendetta against Dr. Bragg into a circus, which is not only disruptive but threatens to cost an already financially strapped district hundreds of thousands of dollars.

This special interest group doesn't agree with the decision made by the voters in the Measure C bond election or with the final decision as to middle school boundaries made by the board with a majority vote only after exhaustive community input. Your article was not very well-researched and does not represent the majority view.

To those who have come from faraway places to attend Cupertino schools and are disappointed by the boundary changes, I can only say that when populations increase and teachers enjoy the benefits of class size reduction, boundary changes become necessary no matter who sits on the board or who is the superintendent. And it should be noted that the boundary changes are the same whether parents have just moved here or have lived in the district their entire lives. No matter what solution was chosen for the new boundaries, someone would have been dissatisfied. There's simply no way around that. Fortunately this selfish attitude is limited to a vocal, disgruntled few.

I also want to take exception to the statement that Dr. Bragg does not listen. I have never been turned away or ignored when bringing an issue to his attention. Does it mean that I'll get my way every time? No, but then as an adult I understand that the world does not revolve around me and decisions must be made on a larger scale. Being heard doesn't always mean getting your way. Furthermore, it is ridiculous to say that Dr. Bragg makes decisions unilaterally when each major decision has been made only after input from committees made up of parents and other stakeholders. I myself have served on a number of the committees that have been formed to address important issues within the district.

I'm sorry to see the Courier enabling this disruptive behavior when we are faced with other, very real problems, such as the current budget crisis. It would be very helpful to students, teachers and the entire community if everyone, including the Courier staff, could put their energies toward something a little more productive, like working with the Cupertino Coalition for Education.

Having worked with Dr. Bragg on issues concerning the district, such as the equalization issue, I've been fortunate enough to have seen a man who is truly dedicated to the well-being of the students, teachers and other employees of the district and who has earned the respect of those who work closely with him. The majority of people in the district and in this community respect Dr. Bragg and believe he belongs here. Our district needs his leadership.

As for the article itself, I'm not sure if this is biased reporting or merely lazy reporting, but I submit that the Courier should either report fully and accurately or start putting the paper on the rack at the supermarket check stands with the rest of the tabloids.

—Barbara Kangas, Chairwoman, Cupertino Coalition for Education


Betting that the French are one of our best allies

I find it hard to believe that 60 to 70 percent of Americans want a war with Iraq. Most of the world doesn't see how Iraq can be a threat to America. Do we want to blindly follow a cowboy who labeled three important countries the "Axis of Evil" and refers to one of the leaders as a pigmy? What is accomplished by those arrogant remarks? Our leader and his Secretary of Defense have managed to alienate most of the world that did not already hate us. Most of the world's thinking people don't agree that might makes right.

French bashing is also counter productive. Again I find it hard to believe that a majority of Americans think that the French should always agree with our government policies. My wife has cousins in the south of France. As soon as you get away from Paris the waiters and the people couldn't be nicer. We spent three weeks in the south of France and everyone was wonderful. They wined us and dined us and showed us all of the surrounding locations of interest. One older relative thanked us for the Marshall Plan that meant so much to the recovery of Europe after WWII. Another showed us the compass he had used to find his way home after escaping from a German prisoner of war camp. It's heartbreaking to see the war memorials in the small town cemeteries. During WWII most of the small villages lost a large portion of their young men. Shortly after 9-11 we received emails about how devastated the French people were about our losses. There are undoubtedly commercial interests in France, as well as most of the world, that benefit from business with Iraq but my bet is that the French are still one of our best allies.

—Ralph W. Eddy, Cupertino