Vacating School Superintendent Leaves Emeryville Teachers Newfound Clout

Post Lindo:

Emeryville Teachers Get a Much needed Shot in the Arm

Opinion
For those wishing well of the Emery School District and the children under its care, last month's resignation announcement of embattled School Superintendent Debra Lindo is all for the good. Central to education of course, are teachers and Emeryville's public school teachers have seen their power and prestige increase tremendously as a result of Ms Lindo's departure this spring.  They stand a real chance now of being valued in this community.  They may finally be allowed into the "family" Emery Unified School District so proudly claims they're creating.

After a shameful season and a half of marginalizing and ignoring the teachers by the School Board as a result of the Teachers Resolution with its litany of abuses foisted upon the teachers by Ms Lindo, we can say the School Board would not dare to hire another imperious superintendent who would disrespect the teachers as Ms Lindo has.  That would be a bridge too far, even for this School Board.
We can see it clearly now; the teachers here at Emery are finally going to be deferred to as they should be.  We think the Board is primed to hire a replacement who will listen to the teacher's concerns.  The price to be paid by the Board if they hired another anti-teacher Superintendent are just too high, and they know it.
However, the teachers shouldn't just sit by idly waiting for it to transpire this way.  The Board may need a reminder.  They need to make it clear to this School Board they're not going to passively take the sidelines, hoping for the best.  They need to flex their new muscles now and demand a say in who gets hired as a replacement for Ms Lindo.

Imagine a school district long on action 
and short on platitudes.  Imagine a 
district that did appreciate the teachers.  
Teachers at Emery are now well 
positioned to make that happen here.  

We don't know what happened behind the scenes with Ms Lindo's resignation; was it because of the heat the Board has been taking by not standing by the teachers?  Is it somehow connected with the recently announced resignation of Center of 'Community' Life Project Director Roy Miller?  Is there something nefarious going on?   We don't know and we may never know.  One thing is for sure, it isn't tenable for an entire School District to so utterly ignore their teachers as Emery has.  We think the School Board, for all their obvious fawning enthrallment with authority, can't keep up their charade of phony pro-teacher platitudes much longer.  They can't be comfortable with the status quo.

We call on Emery teachers; capitalize on the Board's discomfort, make your concerns front and center as they seek a replacement and we'll have your back.  Let's start the work of selecting a new Superintendent of the Schools for Emery Unified under a new banner.  A banner that puts  public education power and respect where it belongs; decentralized, with those who do the actual work, those who are in the trenches, the teachers.

We hope the teachers in this district will continue to be strengthened moving forward in the wake of the dark time of the 'Lindo epoch'.  We'd like to see them parlay their imminent new found respect and empowerment.  They certainly deserve it.  And so do the kids.