Good news for education ... no, really

It's no surprise if you missed the good news buried in the bad at last night's Tracy Unified School District meeting. Because there was a lot of bad.

But verily, good there was. You just had to listen and look carefully.

Buried in the consent items — which typically receive immediate approval with little or no discussion — was an opportunity to open up Tracy Unified to Give Every Child a Chance, the volunteer-driven nonprofit that helps get underachieving grade-schoolers back on the track to academic success, with no cost to parents or schools. (For more on the program that originated in Manteca and took root in the Jefferson School District, read Saturday's column.)

In a wise and anticipated move, the board gave its thumbs-up, and so Jacobson School will soon host our area's third GECAC chapter.

Sure, it doesn't come close to making up for the hellacious list of budget-cut casualties. But in a climate that's almost entirely doom and gloom, we take our success stories where we can find them.