As a parent of an incoming third-grader at Booksin Elementary School, I am one of a few organizers in an effort to try to restore the 20:1 student-teacher ratio for third grade in the district. But I am calling out to all parents of incoming third-graders in the San Jose Unified School District to join this effort and voice your concerns.

Think about having 30 children in a classroom and how this will affect your child's education in comparison to having 20. If you feel strongly about this, then decide in your heart to fight for the 20:1 ratio no matter how tough the fight.

Back in June the board decided to increase class size for third grade from 20 to 30 without a chance for parents to voice their opinions or concerns. This should not have happened!

Smaller class size is important because it directly affects each child's education every day. The classroom size should be considered a top priority and should be the last aspect of education touched by budget cuts.

The cost to the district to reinstate the 20:1 ratio is about $300,000 for all third grades in the district. This is about 30 percent of the total cost; the state covers the other 70 percent. It used to be that state funding covered 100 percent of class size reduction cost but this funding has not kept up with the cost of living increase in recent years.

The bottom line is, it only costs $300,000 out of a $150 million general budget. In reality, this small amount could be saved by cutting out other, lower-priority items in the district budget.

So what can we do? We need to rally as many parents as we can from the 29 elementary schools in the district to attend the next board meeting.

Although this is a big task, each of us can start by passing the word on to others. Then we can branch out to reach the other schools not in our immediate area with the rally call. We can organize and form a committee.

So if you can help I encourage you to email me at trangkick@yahoo.com with your name and contact information. Your involvement in restoring the 20:1 ratio is vital to your child's education. No matter what the outcome, at least we have to try.

—Trang Tran, Ellen Avenue


High-rise project out of place as proposed

It is a known fact that San Jose needs more affordable housing, and a well-planned "transit village" may increase property values in the area but the Tamien Towers project, as proposed by Barry Swenson Builders, is not affordable and is not good for the neighborhood.

There are 242 condos proposed for the Tamien Towers, units priced from $325,000 to $500,000, of which 20 percent (48 units) have been dedicated to low-income homeowners.

In the city of San Jose low income is defined at 110 percent of the median income and with the median income of San Jose currently at $108,000 this means a family must make $120,000 to be able to afford one of these units. In my opinion this is not low income, and I estimate that not many working class families could afford these units. [According to the San Jose Department of Housing, low-income is defined as a household making 77 percent or less of the median income.]

As this project is located next to the VTA light rail and Caltrain station, residents will have the option of taking public transportation, reducing the number of cars on the road. But since the Tamien Towers development does not include any stores or restaurants residents will still need to get in their cars to do any shopping, thus eliminating the concept of the transit village where residents would not need a car for most needs. This project will add approximately 500 cars to the neighborhood on a single residential street.

In addition, the Tamien Towers project does not become part of the neighborhood but rather a private enclave separate from the neighborhood. There are no public parks as part of this project and no public access to the facilities within the project. Although the builder is required to contribute funds for a public park, there is no guarantee that this money will go to a public park in the neighborhood. The land proposed for the public park is currently owned by VTA and is used as a parking lot for VTA, and Caltrain would need to purchase this property from VTA to develop it into a park.

Furthermore, this project is a prime example of the fiefdoms of the San Jose City Council. All of the project community meetings and negotiations with the builder have been limited to the council district where it is located, even though it borders two other council districts.

This is larger than the normal residential project proposed in the city of San Jose, but the communication with the community has been limited to those living within 1,000 feet of the project. Barry Swenson Builder should have taken the extra steps to extend this notification to all the surrounding communities and neighborhood associations.

Finally, this project is the tallest residential structure outside of the downtown core. If this project goes through, San Jose could see many more of these towers at any station along the light rail line. There is enough land on the proposed site to create the same number of units without creating concrete towers in an unsuitable area.

—Robert Kusters, Guadalupe Avenue


Story spreads word about helpful project

Thank you for the July 23 article in the Willow Glen Resident on the Box Project.

My motivation in agreeing to be featured in this article was to promote this fantastic organization and to help to recruit more sponsor families. There are currently around 400 families waiting to be matched up, and since it has been such a fulfilling relationship for my family and me, I would like to share their address and website for anyone else that would like to join.

For more information, call 800.268.9928, visit www.boxproject.org or write to The Box Project Inc., PO Box 435, 87 East St., Plainville, CT 06062.

—Wendy Giusti, Willow Glen


Lessons to be learned from Measure A failure

Six weeks after the failure of the San Jose Unified School District's attempt to pass Measure A, it appears that the district is still crying and wringing their hands and wondering where they went wrong.

The current budget shortfall is a reality not just for this year but for the foreseeable future, and there are valuable lessons for everyone in these times.

The district, which has been plagued for years by financial problems, may finally be forced to show some fiscal responsibility. If they demonstrate the ability to manage their budget so that they get the most educational value from each dollar, then future bond and property tax measures may very well be successful.

The other lesson that needs to be learned by the measure's failure pertains to civics and community values.

As responsible citizens, it is both a right and a duty to vote. All elections are important, even the ones with only one item on the ballot. If the parents of every student enrolled in the San Jose Unified School District value the education of their child and acted as a responsible citizen by voting in all elections, perhaps the measure would have passed.

—K. Moser, Bird Avenue


Association shares A-frame concerns

It may interest Willow Glen readers to know that the Santa Clara County Association of Realtors shares many of the same concerns as those mentioned by Sue Orr in the newspaper's July 23 article "Too many A-frames blocking sidewalks and curbs."

To assist in curtailing the illegal placement of off-site signs, the association has instituted an in-house warning program for Realtors and brokers who illegally place off-site signs. This program is triggered when members of the association report such violations, even if the violator is not a member of the association.

In addition, should any member of the association have a question about the real estate sign laws for any city in Santa Clara County, there is a reference guide located on our website.

Realtors are a key component in the vitality of every neighborhood, and while we cannot comment on Ms. Orr's remarks about signs for retail or commercial businesses, we thought your readers would like to know the steps we've taken to address this issue.

—Paul A. Stewart II, Executive Director/Government Affairs Director Santa Clara County Association of Realtors


Parents are proud of elementary school

I am so happy to see the Music in the Glen concerts taking place at Willow Glen Elementary School. For the last six years, parents at the school have worked hard to improve the appearance of the school. We negotiated with the district to have landscaping and new paint through the approval of Measure C bond funds. We spent about $15,000 in PTA funds on landscaping and hardscaping, and we painted murals and cutouts.

The parents at the school want to make it a true neighborhood school. We are proud to be able to provide a place for the community to gather for events like Music in the Glen, Founders' Day, the farmers market, the annual tree-lighting ceremony and the tree lot.

—Andrea Wheeler, PTA President, Willow Glen Elementary School