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Speak Out
District is redoubling effort with evaluation
This letter is in response to the article printed in the Nov. 1 Willow Glen Resident (Parents clash with SJUSD over desegregation funds).
The San Jose Unified School District Board of Education is clear in its commitment to the consent decree and the guiding principles of desegregation.
This board will reiterate its obligation to the dual consent decree goals of reducing racial isolation and raising Hispanic student achievement by introducing an official resolution for approval at the regularly scheduled board of education meeting on Nov. 16.
As part of the resolution, the board will direct an ongoing evaluation, commencing in the 2000-01 school year, to assess all desegregation programs at every school in relation to the guiding principles of the order. The board will also reallocate resources, if necessary, to achieve those goals.
We are committed to this mission and we will not waiver until we make our vision a reality. As a board of education, we will continue to uphold the principles and commitments of our consent decree to reduce racial isolation and raise achievement for Hispanic students. It is the primary obligation of this board to move this vision forward.
Jorge Gonzalez
President, San Jose Unified Board of Trustees
PTA funds art docent program at WGES
Kate Carter was misinformed when told Willow Glen Elementary does not have fine arts programs. In fact, the school's PTA funds their Art Docent program, which I coordinate. As a professional art teacher, I have compiled a curriculum that parents teach two to four times a month in 25 classrooms.
These fine art lessons include art history and give the children the experience of working in many artistic media. In addition to our Art Docent Program, we have an excellent program in which the San Jose Museum of Art Outreach teaches our fourth- and fifth-grade classes on a weekly basis.
The ArtPath program is a fantastic addition to our school, and we're proud that we have so many cultural opportunities for our children.
Marylea Adams
Program Coordinator
Cartoon about letter wasn't in good taste
Just got through reading the front page article about the mysterious letter sent out at the end of the District 6 race. Like the Kennedy assassination, we will be able to debate this forever and never know the truth. Unless the truth comes out, the fingerpointing will continue until everyone loses interest. The sender, obviously a coward to do such a dastardly thing, will probably never be discovered, which is the way he or she wanted it.
However, that said, it is extremely ludicrous for the Yeager camp to demand an apology from Cunningham as if she personally did it. She has disclaimed any knowledge of this act and that should be good enough. The bottom line is that the voters have spoken in District 6 and managed to disprove the charge that there is indeed prejudice in this country of gay people. It is time to move forward, stand united and give Ken your undivided support. It is in everyone's interest in the district to do so. Ken Yeager now has my support, and I wish him well as he represents me and my fellow Willow Glen neighbors.
As for The Resident's cartoon, this is quite a different subject altogether. To insinuate through a publication that gets distributed to thousands that one of my fellow neighbors is anti-gay and racist has no place in a neighborhood paper. This is the kind of personal exploitation one might expect to see in an edition of The Enquirer.
Let's keep the neighborhoods posted on events happening in our community as The Resident continues to do so well. As for the tastelessness of cartoons such as the one in the Nov. 8 edition, I cannot see any value added in running a cartoon of this sort. If this was run to elicit a laugh, this reader is not laughing and is upset with management's judgment in running something like this. Maybe someone out there can shed some light to me about the benefits of running a cartoon of this sort.
Steve Denton
Camino Pablo
Cisco's Coyote Valley plan shouldn't get OK
I am vehemently opposed to Cisco's Coyote Valley campus because it is a likely impetus for more traffic congestion, air pollution and rampant urban sprawl. However I think it's very important to note that this particular project is just one example of a lack of foresight and urban planning that has permeated the Bay Area (and the nation) for years. Moreover, I believe that individuals are just as responsible as huge corporations like Cisco for our current quality of life issues and our rapidly diminishing open space.
I attended the final planning commission hearing for the project a couple of weeks back and while it was very refreshing to see so many citizens concerned over Cisco's effect on the local environment, I couldn't help wondering how many of those protesters were contributing to the problem, either through their own actions or lack thereof.
There are numerous organizations in our area, such as the Sierra Club, Greenbelt Alliance and Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District that work to improve our environment and preserve open space.
Those of us who would criticize Cisco need to "step up to the plate" and contribute time and/or money to help these groups and others like them help all of us.
We also need to take time out of our busy schedules to write to our elected officials and make it clear to them that the environment is a major concern of their constituents. While we're at it we should consider not buying any more stock in Cisco or other companies we feel are not acting responsibly, no matter how attractive the potential returns may be.
Perhaps those housing developers who continue to build subdivisions in our few remaining green areas would opt for more "infill" developments in already urbanized areas if we would stop snatching up their sprawling creations as fast as they can be built. Similar consideration might be given to automobile purchases. Maybe that gas-guzzling, air-fouling SUV is not a necessity after all.
The battle to save our environment is a race against time. The ongoing economic expansion has brought about tremendous pressure for development and the way we manage our growth now will effect the area forever. It's up to all of us to make sure we don't become victims of our own prosperity.
Mike Jerant
Sunnyvale
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
