[Editor’s Note: After the teachers union in the stormy Centinela Valley School District this week rose up to protest the snubbing of their candidate when a superintendent was hired, we put the question to David Mielke, longtime president of the Culver City Teachers Union: “What role should your union play in the hiring of a super?”]
Who knows best the strengths, weaknesses and needs of a school or a school district? Students? Parents? Teachers? Administrators? Support staff? Elected officials?
Everyone has a contribution to make. I think teachers, through their union, can be a big help to districts looking to select a superintendent.
We are the ones working in these schools each and every day. We are the ones who know what works and what doesn’t.
Doesn’t it make sense to access this input prior to choosing the leader of the system?
A number of local unions have created real, collaborative partnerships with School District administration in order to increase student learning. The ABC Federation of Teachers and the ABC Unified School District, in southern Los Angeles County, have created a partnership that has inspired other unions and districts to do the same. We are one of them!
In fact, Supt. Dave LaRose and I will be presenting next week at the California Federation of Teachers annual convention on “Developing Labor/Management Partnerships.”
We are scheduled to present again at a state-wide symposium in San Diego in May.
Saul Rubinstein at Rutgers University has studied 12 districts nationwide with these labor/management partnerships. He has concluded that, in terms of student achievement, only poverty is a stronger factor than “partnership.”
All of this is to say that teachers need to be a central voice in choosing a superintendent. LAUSD should hear from their union as to what type of leader their schools need. If United Teachers Los Angeles is ready to go down this partnership road, LAUSD will need to make a different type of choice than they have made in the past.
Which choice would benefit students the most: Choosing a supe who sees the union as an adversary? Or choosing one who sees the union as a valuable partner?
I could go on and on — but that probably is enough – or more than enough — for now. I will say that our partnership would not have happened without Dave LaRose being on board right from the start.
Hiring the right supe is huge –and input from the teachers and their union in that process is essential.
Mr. Mielke may be contacted at davidmielke@ccusd.org
