The Sun
Sunnyvale's Newspaper

Letters

Thanks to community for passing bond

As superintendent of Fremont Union High School District, I would like to express my sincere thanks and the thanks of the board of trustees to the parents, staff and community who came together in support of Measure H. Many, many volunteers spent innumerable hours raising funds, campaigning, covering phone banks and otherwise engaging in activities which resulted in the passage of Measure H on April 14. Most of all, I would like to thank the voters who made the effort to come to the polls to cast their ballot which supported this measure with a 78 percent "Yes for Kids" vote.

Measure H will provide infrastructure improvements and additional classroom space for an improved learning environment for students in our district for the next 25 years. The passage of this bond measure and other bond measures in Silicon Valley is an indication of the growing support for public education in our communities. The Fremont Union High School District is proud to be one of the leaders in a resurgence of funding support for education in California.

This bond campaign meant more than funds for facility improvements. It also provided an opportunity for all elements of the community to come together and work as a community family. Students, teachers, administrators, board members, classified support staff, members of city councils, business leaders, senior citizens and many others volunteered their time and energy for the benefit of our students and staff now and for many years to come.

District staff is eager to begin addressing the identified facility needs and repairs at Cupertino, Fremont, Homestead, Lynbrook and Monta Vista high schools. The board of trustees is establishing a community-based bond oversight committee which will serve to ensure that the proceeds of the bond are expended in a proper manner.

Again, on behalf of the board of trustees and the students and staff of the district, I would like to extend my appreciation to all volunteers for their generous contributions to our educational community.

Joe Hamilton
Superintendent,Fremont Union High School District

Great things are afoot in the schools

As an employee of the district, I feel compelled to write about these many wonderful happenings. I have always felt that our district, while being underpublicized in my estimation, has always gone that extra mile to ensure educational excellence for every child enrolled. Teachers and staff open their hearts and their lives daily to each child they come in contact with in a real attempt to make the children become all they can be.

I would like to mention a few of the many positive aspects of the district. The district is making facilities improvements due to the $32 million bond that passed recently. I'd like to thank the community for its passage. The bond is doing a world of good for all the schools in the district.

The district also enjoys support from the Sunnyvale Educational Foundation and from business partnerships.

Among the excellent programs Sunnyvale offers is Project Help, which provides extra academic assistance for students working below their grade level for six weeks in the summer (full days) and 30 extra minutes per day during the school year. Other programs include a summer academy to assist below-grade-level students; a Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) curriculum for students in grades 4-8; and a multimedia specialist project and program for students with special needs, including those with physical disabilities and students who speak a first language other than English.

The district also provides child care at all eight elementary schools, its schools are fully networked, it has an excellent volunteer program and teachers at all eight K-5 schools have been trained in early literacy teaching strategies.

It also has a zero tolerance policy for students regarding drugs and weapons.

The leadership of the Sunnyvale school district charted a visioned course for excellence in education for all the young people that attend our district. The community of Sunnyvale can be just as proud of its public school system as I am to be a part of it.

James Vincenzini
Los Altos

Sunnyvale has seen lots of development

My kudos to Sandra, a letter-writer who, in last week's Sun, expressed dismay at the overdevelopment of Sunnyvale. I couldn't have written it any better. For a moment it looked like a letter that I might have written to Sunnyvale in the '70s when most of downtown disappeared for the sake of a mall! All except the memorial trees at the old City Hall, that is. At least they stayed

I grew up in Sunnyvale in the '50s and '60s and saw many, many changes. Our housing development (Gavello Glen) was completely surrounded by orchards!

Although changes are important sometimes, at other times they seem to be too big and too often. Older buildings have character, warmth, and history. I used to shop at Town & Country in the '70s and I always thought the whole complex was so inviting, personable and even cozy! I do admit that I have, in later years, become somewhat of an advocate of "keeping it and restoring it" if at all possible. That, to me is what retains character, warmth, history and architectural qualities that can't be duplicated in new construction.

In closing, I realize that "what will be, will be," and that somehow, in some way, things will work out all right for everybody in my favorite town of Sunnyvale. Now that I'm on-line I will be looking forward to reading The Sun every week!

David Martine
Washington State

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The Sun
Sunnyvale's Newspaper