I am appalled that an untrained music teacher is allowed to educate the students at River Glen Elementary. While I applaud her energy and commitment, I can only state that musical skills take years to attain before they can be taught to others. Proper reed placement, posture, breath support, hand position, embouchure and tone are not things learned by reading books or practicing various instruments on the weekend. The disparate levels of proficiency she is dealing with further hinders the educational process of the students.

While they may be having fun, they are certainly not learning how to adequately perform on their instruments.

The blame for this travesty lies squarely with the San Jose Unified School District, and more importantly, with Bill Erlendson. Studies have conclusively proven that music education is beneficial and helps with student success at all levels. The fact that San Jose Unified does not adequately fund music shows us where its priorities lie.

Bill Erlendson can say what he wants, but simply look at where the money is spent. Bill Erlendson should know this fact better than most. He is an accomplished trombone player and former music educator. I doubt any of his teachers were untrained volunteers.

—Gus Kambeitz, Director of Instrumental Music West Valley College


Time to refocus dollars and reprioritize funds

After reading the last two weeks' letters in the Speak Out section of the Willow Glen Resident, I would like to try to clarify a few misconceptions held by those who wrote in.

Willow Glen High School receives approximately $859,000 in desegregation funds, an increase of 11 percent from the 1999­00 school year. There is also other funding that schools receive, and much of that has strings attached. The $859,000 is used for a variety of programs and staff for the entire school (which has more than 1,200 students). The majority of this money is directed to help our disadvantaged students, a population that has been increasing over the years. At one time, Almaden Valley schools in Trustee Area 5 were receiving more desegregation dollars than Willow Glen schools in Trustee Area 3. Yet Willow Glen schools had 16 times as many disadvantaged students as Almaden Valley. When I brought this inequity to the attention of the district, additional funds were reallocated to Willow Glen Middle and High schools.

Unfortunately, many of our desegregation dollars go to fund high-profile, expensive magnet programs that Willow Glen schools do not have. Thus, neighborhood parents sense that they can get a "better deal" at these magnet schools for their children and leave Willow Glen schools. Many of our families also opt to go to Almaden Valley schools because of higher test scores. So with empty desks available in Willow Glen, the school district during the past eight years has been bussing more and more non-neighborhood students into Willow Glen. This deprives us of the participation of our neighborhood families, who we historically have relied on to volunteer and fundraise. Many of the bussed non-neighborhood students' families do not participate in school activities or cannot help us fundraise. So fewer and fewer neighborhood families are available to help all of our students.

On June 12th the district will present its draft implementation plan for Measure F bond expenditures to the Trustee Area 3 community at the Willow Glen High School cafeteria from 4 to 5:30 p.m. One of the proposals is to spend $1.6 million on bus drop-offs and driveways at Willow Glen Middle and High schools. We don't need more busses in Willow Glen. We need more programs and science/computer labs for our students. We also need to stop bussing students out of their neighborhoods and make their schools model schools. The district is still spending almost $3.7 million to bus children away from their neighborhoods. Why?

Soon San Jose Unified School District will be released from the federal court order that gave us bussing and desegregation. However, the district intends to continue these expensive programs that a few have and the rest of us do not. It will be called the voluntary integration plan. It's time to return to neighborhood schools for all and allocate the desegregation dollars where they are needed most.

—Carol Myers, Board of Education, Trustee Area 3


Reader backs mother upset by WG posters

I would like to comment on the very unkind remarks in John Jopnes' letter about the woman who was upset with the Vagina Monologues posters being displayed in some store windows on Lincoln Avenue.

Wanting to protect her children from what she feels is objectionable material needs to be respected—period.

For a man to call a woman sexually repressed for any reason reminds me of the old male chauvinist pigs from the 1960s. Calling a woman sexually repressed to put her in her place is really old. Get some new material.

Mr. Jopnes tries to come across as a hip guy, but in my opinion men who verbally attack woman are shallow and abusive.

—Linda Julian, Jonathan Avenue


Posters display poor taste on Lincoln Ave.

I was deeply offended by the letter from a man saying that the lady who opposed the Vagina Monologues posters in downtown Willow Glen needs therapy and that "there is nothing more kid-friendly than a vagina."

The word "vagina" happens to refer to a very private part of the female body, which is why the word is generally not used in polite conversation. Can you imagine if someone displayed a poster in public that stated the name of the male private organ?

As a woman, I find the title of that play to be embarrassing and disrespectful. If my young daughter were to read that poster, how would I explain that word to her? She is much too young for sex education, and I would prefer that the word be introduced to her when I feel she is ready.

Whoever thought up the title of that play lacks taste and common decency—qualities that are sadly lacking in popular culture today. When Shakespeare wrote about the weaknesses of humanity, he gave his plays titles such as Hamlet and Macbeth.

These posters should be removed immediately from downtown Willow Glen. There are many families with young children living here, and any posters downtown should reflect our community's standards.

—Jennifer Smith, Willow Glen