Letters to the editor Letters to the editor (March 18, 2005)

School closure is everyone's business

Editor:

The board of trustees of the Mountain View-Whisman School District is all set to decide about closing one of Mountain View's elementary schools.

A school closure task force met for over a year and identified a school for closure. When this proposal faced opposition, the board almost immediately proposed to close another school instead. They have presented no implementation plan, but they may nevertheless vote on March 22 to close one of our schools by the end of this year.

This is not an issue that concerns only the school, its parents and its students. It is a citywide issue, a Mountain View issue.

We chose to live in Mountain View because it is a vibrant city with strong neighborhoods and involved and caring residents. When our son started kindergarten, we discovered that, just by walking him to school every day, we made many friends and became more and more involved in our community.

The board of trustees seems to believe that closing a neighborhood school will save $500,000 a year. That amount represents a mere fraction of the district's budget -- too small an amount to justify destroying a neighborhood and weakening connections between neighbors.

Just imagine the highest residential density area in Mountain View (bounded by Sunnyvale, Central Expressway, Palo Alto and El Camino Real) with only one elementary school. What will that look like to future residents and business owners who may want to relocate here? Does that look like a city that cherishes its children and uses good planning to ensure the quality of life of all its residents? The answer is clearly no.

Having or not having neighborhood schools, caring or not caring for the quality of life in our neighborhoods is a citywide issue, a Mountain View issue. We are all stakeholders. And the time has come for all stakeholders (the district's staff and board, the parents, city leaders, business representatives, concerned community members) to come together and formulate a good solution. We're all in this together. Ronit and Cliff Bryant Dana Street

Withholding contributions from hospital

This last week I received a note from a good friend of mine, William Teglia, requesting I write a note in support of the full financial disclosure question for the El Camino Hospital.

My first thought was that this really isn't a "windmill" that we care a lot about. However, I then remembered that we have responded, with contributions, when El Camino Hospital has requested our support and that we have never requested full financial disclosure.

So I'm writing this note in support of the full financial disclosure. Also, I will refuse any future request of contributions from the El Camino Hospital until they offer the same information that I demand from any other agency requesting my donations. Robert and Virginia Hendrickson Cupertino

Hospital needs CEO's money

Editor:

I am a 20-year employee of El Camino Hospital and find it very disturbing that our CEO refuses to disclose his complete benefits package. Because El Camino is a publicly-owned and funded hospital, I believe the public has a right to know.

This is all the more pertinent when the hospital is implementing cost-cutting measures that impact patient care safety and quality, including the reduction in operating hours of the dialysis unit. Maybe some of the CEO's money could be spent to improve the quality of patient care and truly make us the kind of quality medical facility the public deserves and has paid for.

With our union negotiation coming up soon, I would hope the administration will reward the people that truly make El Camino Hospital the quality facility that it is. Thomas Oberhelman Cupertino

When will Iraqi carnage change our minds?

Editor:

If you imagine 30 World Trade Center towers on the horizon and send 60 insane planes into them, that is where we are in carnage in Iraq to date. That's if we count the Iraqis as 8/8ths people. This is, by the way, beyond the presumed kill/torture rate of Hussein had he continued without a revolt.

Like our Karen Meredith, every single one of those mothers of the lost has stepped on a landmine of hell. Just as there finally came a time when enough of us became sufficiently disgusted with ourselves that we abolished slavery, there will come a time when we drink the understanding that each dead child like Ken Ballard is our own amazing child and recoil from the choice of war as the insane serpent it is. Wendy Fleet Velarde Street

School board president's conflict

Regarding last week's letter from Anne Cheilek expressing concerns about a possible conflict of interest because Gloria Higgins is the parent of two children who attend Slater School:

When the school board candidates ran for election, it was clear that they all either had children in the district, had had children in the district, and/or had been students in Mountain View or had a history with the district.

RoseMary Sias Roquero attended Slater School and has family in the Castro School community. Ellen Wheeler is the parent of a child who attends Bubb, and Fiona Walter has two children who attend Huff. I would expect and want our trustees to be embedded in our community.

I have confidence that if Bubb were up for closure, Wheeler would not be swayed by her involvement with Bubb. Walter has stated that if she felt Huff was the school to close, she would vote to close Huff. Roquero recommended closing Slater, even though she is a Slater alumnus.

My expectation is that this board is working very hard and diligently to make a monumental decision, and by having members on the board with as much knowledge as possible about the different schools is to our advantage.

What if the board was made up of members who all had children at only one school? I think that we have a fairly well-rounded board, and that they should not be suspect because of their affiliation with a school. The board should be considered able to make hard decisions regardless of what schools they attended or their children attend.

Using the information provided by the candidates, it appears that this board is not weighted to one specific community. The board benefits from members who have direct involvement and knowledge of specific schools and their programs. Having community and school ties is quite possibly an advantage which will help the board to make their decision. Jane Horton N. Whisman Road

Pleased to meet the mayor

Editor:

I attended the Meet the Mayor event last week at the Church of Scientology Life Improvement Center on Castro. I wish to thank the mayor for taking the time to address all of us present on the plans for the city.

It is a shame that Gloria Sias Perry, who walked by the meeting, did not take the time to attend; perhaps her letter, which the Voice published last week, would have had a different theme. One thing I do agree with Perry on is that Mayor Matt Neely should find the time for further Meet the Mayor days, whether they are held at other religious institutions, Google, Don Giovanni's restaurant or a local park.

Meetings like these make understanding government possible. I left it encouraged. I know what I think and it does make a difference in the community, even if I am not the mayor or a city council member. Flavia Kreis Flynn Avenue

Proud to be part of the democratic process

Editor:

Recently I had the opportunity to participate in a public forum and saw our city council in action.

The public debate was a difficult one, concerning the long-term plans for the Mayfield Mall site. A very large and vocal crowd, which could have easily gotten out of control, spoke at the meeting.

Those from the surrounding neighborhood were adamant and articulate in their position. Those who were advocating higher-density housing, the need for additional housing and the appropriateness of the Mayfield site to adjacent transportation corridors also took a strong position.

The mayor and the council members were attentive to the concerns and comments made by those who spoke and were vocal in their own decisions as well. Everyone was given the opportunity to speak, including a 16-year-old young man, who was as articulate as anyone present.

Those of us at this meeting participated in the democratic process, as it was intended. We should be proud of the professional manner in which our mayor and city council conducted themselves during the beginning of what will surely be a long debate. Bill Maston Castro Street

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