With all of the recent school budget cuts in the news and local fund-raising efforts to minimize the impact, the Los Gatos High School photography program may be a victim or a survivor. Mr. Ripp, the photography instructor, has received a pink slip and is scheduled to lose his job next year.

In the recent Photographic Guild of Los Gatos contest, the Los Gatos high school kids won 12 of 28 awards available. I think this illustrates the success of the program and the talents of Mr. Ripp and his students. His departure would be a tremendous loss to the high school program and the kids. My hope is there will be some way to find the resources to reinstate Mr. Ripp, and the students will continue to benefit from his instruction. The survival of this successful program is in the balance. Perhaps enough support can be generated to tip the scales in his favor.

—Greg Gisler, Los Gatos


Is flag issue recreating a monster?

[The May 21] cover features earnest school kids dressed in military uniforms; inside, the letters pages fill with emblem issues. Does anyone remember the last nation to have a flag fetish? That same country was very militaristic and indeed required little excuse to invade other nations.

I'm not a flag burner nor a flag waver, but I recall pictures of innocent, fresh-faced kids joining the "Hitler Youth." Is it beyond imagination that through our patriotic confusions we are allowing the politicians here to recreate a monster?

—M. Sheehan, Los Gatos


Participate in Grad Night walk-through

Friday, June 13, is graduation day for the seniors of Los Gatos High School class of 2003. After the graduation ceremony, senior parents host a safe, sane and sober Grad Night Party for these students. Grad Night 2003 is a culmination of nine months of secret preparations by hundreds of parents. These dedicated senior parents have worked over 6,000 hours to produce this traditional event.

Grad Night is an all-night party held at the high school staffed by senior parents from 10 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. Teachers from the high school also contribute to this event in a striking way. We have the support of the junior and sophomore parents, as they host the community walk-through, and clean up and store the elaborate decorations for future classes.

There will be food, entertainment, activities and music. The warm night air will be filled with joyful noise. Once again, we ask for the patience and support of our neighboring community. We hope they understand the significance of this once-in-a-lifetime event and will be tolerant of these exuberant sounds.

We invite the community to come and discover what all the excitement and secrecy has been about. We think you will be impressed by imagination, artistry and hard work this year's senior parents have produced! Come join us at this year's community walk-through from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Friday, June 13, at Los Gatos High School.

—Sue Amende-Plep, Los Gatos


Classified staff the 'backbone of the district'

Yes, it's too bad to see all those good classified teachers left without jobs, when they have been the backbone for the teachers they teach for. Too bad for that great worker named Robin who gave 18 years to the district, only to see her retirement go down the drain.

But wait, the educators at the top are safe—making $100,000 plus per school year. Now they could have taken a 5 to 10 percent cut to help—hmm, they like that big paycheck.

Yes, it's great the town was able to have an SOS drive. Can we expect this to happen every year? I don't think so. What do you think? For such a small school district, you would think they could spend our tax money, the lottery money, not for higher wages for the gang at the top, but for the classified people who are the backbone of the district.

—Larry W. Cereghino, Los Gatos


Cell ordinance approval is good for the town

I have watched with increasing frustration, the process to create and adopt a reasonable telecommunications ordnance for the town. Last year I attended a group meeting at the base of the electric utility tower at Live Oak Manor Park where a small group spoke of the terrible impact the addition of cellular antennas to the tower—along with a small, self contained equipment shelter—would have on the welfare of our community and safety of our children. "Oh, we got trouble!" I listened, as comments about the noise levels generated by this equipment were as high as 60 decibels!

When someone asked what that relates to, one other person stated with authority. "It is as loud as a jackhammer." Others raised fears of repair trucks coming at all hours. Concerns about individuals hiding around the proposed equipment shelter and harassing our children were raised. And it went on and on.

While it may be politically correct to jump on this well-intentioned neighborhood movement, I can only hope that our elected officials look beyond the emotional issues and the special interests of a few and focus on fact and what is good for the town.

Having spent nine years working for a telecommunications equipment supplier, I directed the implementation of countless microwave systems in this country and throughout the world. I would be less concerned living next to a cellular site than near a high power utility tower.

We need to understand the facts. Cellular companies only build sites were their analysis indicates they will generate the revenue to support it. The equipment used is highly reliable since it is not cost effective to have technicians constantly servicing the site. Sixty decibels is the sound level OSHA sets as normal for an office environment. Cellular antennas can be very effectively concealed, although placement on a utility tower is an excellent choice since they blend in well with the existing structure.

In closing, expansion of cellular service in our town and the resulting revenue is not a bad thing. While it should be managed and controlled through reasonable regulations, we should not be so restrictive to hinder the benefit to the community as a whole.

—Oz Olsen, Los Gatos


SOS program a success, thanks to community

In the history of every community comes strategic moments that define it for years to come. A few months ago, Los Gatos faced such a moment and responded by defining itself as a community committed to education.

On behalf of the Los Gatos Education Foundation and Home and School Clubs, I would like to thank our community for the outpouring of support for the Save Our Schools Campaign. Thanks to your tireless involvement and overwhelming generosity, we defied the odds and raised $1,000,000. These monies will be granted to the Los Gatos Union School District to train highly qualified teachers and restore key educational programs that are in jeopardy due to the proposed state budget cuts to education. Our community came together in a way we can all be proud of to make a dramatic impact on a Los Gatos schools.

During the last 10 weeks, hundreds of parent and community volunteers have been totally focused on preserving the quality of education in our schools that are ranked in the top 5 percent in the state. They worked hard to educate Los Gatos residents about the state budget crisis by holding public forums, distributing handouts, stuffing envelopes, making phone calls, and staffing information booths. Many of these volunteers had never been involved in school fundraising before, yet they became the critical success factor in achieving this incredible goal.

In addition to parent participation, local businesses donated products, services, support and dollars to make a difference in the campaign. We congratulate you for being part of this important effort to maintain the long tradition of educational excellence in Los Gatos. By putting the needs of children first, you have distinguished Los Gatos as an educational community.

Your family may have received several phone calls or multiple mailings regarding SOS, and we appreciate your patience. Our systems were challenged by the speed and magnitude of this critical fundraising campaign. Please know that our intentions were always in the best interest of serving Los Gatos children.

For any family or local business that has not yet had the opportunity to donate to the SOS campaign, we would be happy to accept your contribution. This would enable us to restore additional school programs in jeopardy. Donation information is available online at www.lgef.org.

Thank you to everyone who supported the SOS campaign either through volunteering, donating, or providing words of encouragement. Your gifts will impact the educational future of every LGUSD student.

—Teri Kent, President, LGEF, Los Gatos