Dear Anna Yates Community and Greater Emeryville Community,
Many of you may already know Dr. Clifford Thompson, former principal of Emery High School 2001-2003, who has been substituting for Principal Jag Lathan for the past two years. For those of you who do not know Dr. Thompson, I would like to provide you information about his qualifications for the upcoming position of Principal for Anna Yates Elementary School.
 |
| Dr. Clifford Thompson |
District where he has taught everything from French to math and served as an administrator in many roles, including principal of the K-8 Conservatory of Vocal and Instrumental Arts and principal of the 100 Black Men Community School, an all-male public charter school. Dr. Thompson also served as principal of Emery High School 2001-2003, during a time of leadership and financial crisis for Emery Unified School District. Dr. Thompson is currently working as Adjunct Professor of Education at Patten University, California State University Hayward and the University of Phoenix.
As President of the Oakland Alliance of Black Educators, an affiliate of the National Alliance of Black School Educators, Dr. Thompson’s leadership works to achieve goals including:
- Identifying programs and practices which both enhance or inhibit the education, social moral development of African American children and youth
- Eliminating systemic inequities adversely impacting African American students within local schools and districts
Dr. Thompson’s educational qualifications include:
- Professional Clear Tier One Administrative Credential
- Professional Clear Tier Two Administrative Credential
- Doctorate of Education (Ed.D.) University of San Francisco
- Master of Science (MS), Education California State Hayward
- Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies, Multiple Subject Teaching Credential California State Hayward
- Single Subject Teaching Credential, French Language Teacher Education California State Chico
- Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), French and Rhetoric University of California, Davis
Many of Anna Yates staff, teachers, and parents have seen Dr. Thompson at work as a substitute principal for Anna Yates, and have been impressed by his leadership and community building skills in action. With Dr. Thompson’s leadership, the whole environment of the school transforms for students, parents, and teachers alike, becoming calm, positive, productive, and welcoming for all. As a result, many of Anna Yates staff, teachers, and parents have decided to take action to petition the School Board of Emery Unified School District to hire Dr. Thompson as the new principal for Anna Yates Elementary School.
Regardless of the petition circulating in support of Dr. Thompson, rest assured that EUSD School Board will interview and verify the qualifications of all candidates for the position of Anna Yates Principal. The purpose of this petition and this letter to the Tattler is to inform EUSD school board members that there is strong community support for Dr. Thompson as a candidate for principal!
Supporters of Dr. Thompson's candidacy for the Principal of Anna Yates Elementary School will be presenting their petitions to the EUSD School Board during their regular meeting at 6:00 pm, Wednesday, March 12th located at Emery Unified School District Office, 1275 61st Street, Emeryville. This is an opportunity for you to speak to the School Board on the behalf of Dr. Thompson, and/or let the Board know what qualities Anna Yates new principal should have!
Ingrid Eliasson is a teacher librarian at Anna Yates Elementary School in Emeryville. Ms Eliasson has taught at Emery Unified School District since 1994.
Ingrid Eliasson is a teacher librarian at Anna Yates Elementary School in Emeryville. Ms Eliasson has taught at Emery Unified School District since 1994.
This only sounds like a good idea because we are so scared of what will come out of a hiring process led by this School Board. No one has any confidence that they can hire anyone good, because they never have. But that just means we should be pushing instead to have teachers, parents, and students be a larger part of the process. Let's take in all the applications and hire the best person. There's no reason to rally behind the first halfway decent person we come across. Let's develop a process we can trust for a change!
ReplyDeleteI hope this would only be a temporary position for whoever fills it. Shouldn't there only be one school principal when they combine all the school kids when they complete the new school. Isn't that part of the reason why they are building the ECCL building?, to save money by having everybody at the one site. The money that could be saved by the district by only having one principal would be huge.
ReplyDeleteI commend ms. eliasson for having the chutzpah to sign her name.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ms. Enomoto. After 20 years in EUSD, I have the privilege to be occasionally outspoken. I try to use it judiciously! ;-)
Delete