We understand that Schallenberger, the school our children attend, and possibly other Willow Glen area schools are at risk of closure. There are too many reasons for us to enumerate here why we think closing Schallenberger is inappropriate, but we do want to share the most compelling reason for keeping it open.

Before we had contact with Schallenberger, we had pretty simplistic views of what constituted a high functioning school. If asked, we would simply point to overall academic test scores.

We're both accountants, so we're both very familiar with the use of statistics and acknowledge that they can provide helpful information in making decisions and assessments. Statistics can also be incomplete and even misleading. While Schallenberger's overall scores are relatively good—the school received a California Distinguished School designation in 2002—we think they present an incomplete picture of the school.

We had our first interaction with Schallenberger three years ago, when looking for an appropriate kindergarten for our oldest son, Kelton, who is now 8 years old. Our son is a high functioning autistic. As such, he performs at or above grade level academically, but has a very difficult time socially. The first lesson we learned as parents of an autistic child is that your plans—including educational plans—for the child are unstructured. There is no single, obvious roadmap to follow in raising your child. The second lesson we learned is that, notwithstanding the many laws that seemingly weigh in your favor, you need proactive support from many people and institutions for your child to succeed.

From our first encounter with Schallenberger to today, we have received that, and more, much more, from the principal, teachers, parents, and children at the school.

We are extremely thankful and feel very blessed to have received warm acceptance from all levels within the school community. It suffices to say that the school has far exceeded our expectations.

We both come from relatively advantaged backgrounds and received good public school education in other states. Those schools were relatively homogenous, and it was easy for these schools to succeed if its students were primarily comprised from such backgrounds. The parents of such children are very likely to instill a culture of learning in their children before they even set foot on campus. What's different about Schallenberger is that it works while it pulls along and integrates the Kelton Bullocks and many other, socioeconomically disadvantaged kids within its student body. It doesn't lower its standards, but raises the performance of all children. That's our definition of a high functioning school.

We believe in the ideal that Schallenberger represents. If you do, too, we urge that you get involved and voice your concerns to the school district before a decision is otherwise made to close the school.

In this week's school section of the Willow Glen Resident, there is a news brief about meetings that the San Jose Unified School District plans to hold. The public is encouraged to attend and provide input pertaining to the issue of school consolidation. You can find the contact information by clicking here.

—Moryt Milo