The Willow Glen Resident Letters District bureaucracy is 'impossibly large' Funny, SJUSD says that special education has become an impossible burden. Just imagine what the families are experiencing, first with a little-known diagnosis, then with a district that contradicts itself repeatedly. Good luck to Joanne in her attempt to get her son the help and education he requires, while trying to learn the ins and outs of an impossibly large district's bureaucracy. Patricia Sanguinetti San Jose Can SJUSD afford to pay for new facility? Hats off to Mrs. Cordova in her attempt to force SJUSD to organize and better serve families forced to deal with the Special Education department. It would seem that the district wasn't all together too concerned with bankruptcy when they built their huge building on Lenzen. Perhaps that provides them better coverage to hide behind when trying to dodge parents' repeated requests. I know Joanne and I have heard her on the phone trying to reach the district and have seen many of the letters she has sent to SJUSD. For SJUSD to say that she has not voiced her complaints or asked for an IEP meeting is just not true. Janet Heaton San Jose Feds and state should pay for special ed laws Christine Lias' article regarding Brett Cordova and his special needs highlights the dilemma that school districts and special education parents face when dealing with federal and state laws and parents' rights to a free and appropriate education for their children. The main crux of this dilemma is how special education is funded. Parents get justifiable upset when school officials talk about the "bottom line" and how do we pay for the expensive treatment and programs that special education law mandates that schools must provide. The Handicapped Childrens' Act was enacted by Congress in 1975. Also, Congress passed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). These acts identify services for parents. Today Congress is still underfunding the cost of those services. This is a perfect example of an unfunded mandate that Congress passes on to school boards, who do not have the means to raise taxes. Currently, San Jose Unified spends approximately $2.3 million more than we receive from the state or the federal governments for special education. This is called encroachment to the general education budget. Yet each year our costs for special education increase with each new service and medical condition that is mandated or diagnosed. Yet the needs of our special education population are growing with no adequate funding in sight or even an awareness that a problem exists. In addition, school districts are required to provide services for special education students from age 3 to age 22. So a K-12 district like San Jose Unified assumes a larger financial cost of funding special education than a smaller elementary district. San Jose Unified is committed to providing a quality education program for our special education students. For too long these students were not allowed to participate with their regular education classmates and were for the most part ignored. Thankfully this is no longer the case and special education student enjoy a wide range of experiences with their classmates. Isn't it about time Congress and our state legislature start fully funding special education? With the federal surplus increasing to nearly $700 billion in the next ten years, the money is there. We just need the will and the fiscal integrity that has so sadly been lacking in Congress the past 25 years. Carol Myers President, Board of Education Language skills had nothing to do with job I was very surprised to read Cecily Barnes' article concerning our councilman, Frank Fiscalini, being named vice-mayor of San Jose. To imply that a reason for Mayor Ron Gonzales making the appointment was to represent him at "Spanish-only gigs" is an insult to your reader's intelligence. Our representative to the city brings knowledge, integrity, caring for the community, understanding, and many other traits to the Council Chambers and will continue to represent his district well and use his Spanish speaking ability as he always has. I do not agree with him on all issues, but feel that I'm well represented in City Hall. Now to address what I feel was an ethnic slur. Ron was born of Mexican heritage and raised in this country, more specifically, California. I believe that his parents wanted him to learn English well, so that he could be successful in whatever endeavor he may choose in his native land. I am a second-generation American and cannot speak my grandparents' native tongue, nor do I need to in our great country, although I wish I could converse in more than English. To imply that Frank Fiscalini was named in order to be the Mayor's Spanish-speaking representative sounds like an inference to incite community divisiveness and one thing Ron has the ability to do is unite all San Joseans. This appeared evident to me at his inauguration. We do not need your publications to break it down. I do not know Cecily Barnes well, but having been a member of the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association board, have had contact with her and always felt that she was forthright and honest in her writing. This most recent Council Watch article has me wondering if my past impression was correct. Does she think that we should have more than one Vice Mayor so that they could represent our Mayor at Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese, Hebrew, Assyrian, Hindu and other ethnic speaking functions? Enough divisiveness. Let's get on with unity for the betterment of all. Dick Schwartz Willow Glen Seniors could use affordable beauty This past summer I wrote a letter to the Resident, regarding the high prices in beauty salons along Lincoln Avenue. I'm a senior citizen. I live on a fixed income. Each day, I pray that someone would open up a beauty salon that would be conscientious with their prices. At one time, there was an excellent beauty college on Willow. Although they were just students, they did a very good job. The price was also good. Now more than ever, I need to go to a beauty salon. I'm no longer young and need all the help I can get. Please see what you can do for us seniors. Name Withheld By Request Willow Glen [ Back to Contents Page | Willow Glen Resident Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Willow Glen Resident, January 27, 1999. ©1999 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.