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# An unpopular voice?
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/an-unpopular-voice-editor/
- Published: 2006-06-06T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T18:15:50.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Opinion, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*By Oscar de la Torre Board member, Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District*

The purpose of this letter is to clarify inaccuracies made by school board member Jose Escarce (SMDP, May 27, page 4) in his letter to the editor, where he provided his less than informed version of the board’s inaction regarding community concerns at Santa Monica High.

Mr. Escarce wrote about the importance of following proper procedure as school board members when dealing with sensitive issues. I completely agree with Mr. Escarce, in terms of the importance of following procedure, which is what school board member Maria Leon Vasquez and I attempted to do, with the motion — as stated in the minutes — to “hold a closed session discussion regarding personnel matters at Samohi.” This action was a response to grievances we had been hearing from parents, students and faculty at Samohi. The motion I made was broad enough to respect the privacy of all employees and carefully worded to not single out any one. Unfortunately, Mr. Escarce’s account of what was stated in my motion is inaccurate; neither of the words “evaluation” nor Ilene Straus was ever used in my motion.

As school board members it is our responsibility to ask the hard questions, even if the issue is not the most popular among the majority. Anything less would be a disservice to the public trust we agreed to uphold and erodes our credibility and integrity. I made a commitment to the voters of Santa Monica that I will listen and be responsive in order to provide a quality and equitable education to every student. I consider every voice important and valuable in building a collective vision for our district.

The concerns that have surfaced recently at Samohi are not new. In the past year there have been several occasions where parents, students and faculty have voiced their concerns about the critical state of Samohi. In my opinion, the board should have discussed the potential for inter-group violence when a parent raised the issue publicly at a school board meeting two months before the student violence erupted on April 15, 2005\. We could have potentially avoided the “lockdown.” Most recently, African American parents addressed the board on March 9, 2006, and in response, I made the motion to engage the Board of Education in a discussion regarding the issues affecting the learning community at Samohi. How can we solve a problem if we avoid discussing it?

As elected officials isn’t it our responsibility to listen and ask questions regarding the effectiveness of programs and leadership at a school site? If the board as a whole would have listened to the voices of concerned parents, students and faculty we could have avoided the escalation that took place on May 18, which resulted in the cancellation of the school board meeting. I also strongly believe that as school board members we must not shy away from the notion of accountability. This is exactly what parents, students and faculty have been demanding at Samohi.

On May 9, I upheld what I believe to be important values as an elected official: To respond professionally and respectfully to the grievances of the students, faculty and parents. To calm the divisive dynamic that currently exists at Samohi, we must strive to develop a climate of trust where honest dialogue is the norm, people’s perspectives are listened to and where reprisals are not feared. Our mission right now should be to unify a diverse campus and spreading inaccurate information about anyone is a disservice to this cause.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 6, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/060606.pdf?ref=smdp.com)