Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Unification compromise threatens local schools

By Steve Glickman

There is a serious threat to the Los Gatos elementary and high school districts that we all have worked so long and hard to support. On May 28, at their first public meeting, the Committee on District Reorganization of the Santa Clara County Office of Education unveiled plans to drastically modify or eliminate school districts in the West Valley area. This committee is considering the following "scenarios":

* leave the current districts intact, but address instances of extreme geographic isolation through territory transfers

* change the boundaries of the Los Gatos and Saratoga elementary and high school districts to conform to city boundaries

* unify 11 districts into two, along high school district boundaries

* unify combinations of districts, such as Cambrian, Lakeside, and Loma Prieta; Los Gatos and Union; Campbell, Saratoga and Luther Burbank; Moreland and Campbell

* create two or three unified school districts, ignoring current district boundaries in favor of "natural" boundaries such as freeways, major streets, geological features, etc.

* create one areawide unified school district

The stated goals of this committee are to address neighborhood fragmentation and isolation issues, align along political jurisdictions, distribute public education resources, achieve economy of scale, and acknowledge the educational value inherent in student diversity. However, according to the committee's own documentation [on their Web page], the motivations were [also] as follows:

"Financial issues (basic aid concerns) and overcrowded conditions at school sites have caused Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High and Saratoga Union school districts to restrict approval of interdistrict attendance agreements for out-of-district students. Parents wanting their students to attend school in one of these districts began examining alternatives to interdistrict transfer agreements."

" ... A third (9 of 27) of all interdistrict attendance appeals acted upon by the county Board of Education over this time period have involved school districts within the Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District area."

" ... Well over 25 requests have been received by county Office of Education staff from neighborhoods and individuals requesting information on how to transfer their property into the Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District area. This does not include numerous contacts by residents of Santa Cruz County contacting the Santa Cruz County Office of Education for similar information."

" ... The County Committee has received five petitions to transfer territory from Campbell Union School District to Saratoga Union School District. It has received another four petitions to transfer territory from Santa Cruz County into Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District. Additionally, three of the County Committee decisions regarding these territory transfers have been appealed to the state Board of Education. Other efforts to transfer territory in the area are in various stages of development."

It would be easier for the county Office of Education to deal with one big school district rather than 11 small ones, but our small school district has a record of success that is the envy of all who know it. We should be a model of what works in public education.

The reasons for our good schools are no secret. Our local community cares about our local schools and contributes to their success. The best teachers apply, and we can select the cream of the crop. Parents and volunteers work with the children and these teachers every day and contribute generously to our Educational Foundation, and the whole community pays extra taxes to support their local schools.

In a small district, everyone is accessible--board members, superintendent, principals and teachers. Why tamper with or kill the goose that produces record numbers of Golden State math awards?

Acknowledging the lesson of what works well, state School Superintendent Delaine Eastin promotes ever smaller districts and advocates the breakup of large ones. Unification was twice defeated in local elections and should not be imposed on us from outside or by the government.

Assemblyman Jim Cunneen's office told me he favors a "compromise."

I do not want our wonderful schools compromised.

If you share my concern, please make your voice heard by attending the next public meeting of the committee on June 19, from 4 to 8 p.m. at Monta Vista High School, 21840 McClellan Rd. (near Bubb Road) in Cupertino, and by contacting representatives who need to know how you feel about this issue: Larry Shirey, the consultant studying this issue for the county Office of Eduation; state Senator Byron Sher; Assemblyman Jim Cunneen; Supervisor Don Gage; county Board of Education member T.N. Ho; and Los Gatos Union School District Superintendent Bert Pearlman.

For a list of addresses for these representatives, contact the Los Gatos Union School District office.

Steve Glickman is a member of the Los Gatos Union School District Board of Trustees.

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