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# Clarifying School Board’s role
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/clarifying-school-boards-role-editor/
- Published: 2006-05-27T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T18:06:41.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Opinion, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*By José J. Escarce SMMUSD Board of Education*

I am writing to clarify for the public a statement in your recent article about Santa Monica High School “A house divided over at Samohi” (SMDP, May 20-21, page 1). On page 14, you wrote: “Parent groups have called for the dismissal of (Principal Ilene) Straus repeatedly over the last school year … A group that has been highly critical of Straus is The Unity Coalition … The coalition brought the matter before the school board earlier this year, but managed to get just two votes to discuss the issue, one from Oscar de la Torre and the other from María León Vázquez …”

What Mr. de la Torre proposed, and Ms. León Vázquez supported, during the March 9 School Board meeting was that the board adjourn into closed session in order to evaluate the effectiveness and leadership of the Samohi administration, including Dr. Straus. I objected vigorously, not because I shy away from discussing how to make Samohi a better school for all students — indeed, numerous board meetings in the last five years have dealt with this issue — but because it is the job of the superintendent, not the School Board, to evaluate school principals. Judging from what my other colleagues said on the dais when they opposed Mr. de la Torre’s motion, I believe this was their reasoning as well.

It is certainly the responsibility of School Board members to share their views about principals with the superintendent, and it is the duty of the superintendent to consider those views — as well as the views of teachers, parents and students — when evaluating principals. However, for the School Board to usurp the role of the superintendent and evaluate principals would set a dangerous precedent and send a chilling message to principals: That they need to worry about remaining in the good graces of School Board members. Wouldn’t principals avoid making tough but necessary decisions for their schools out of fear that they might upset a School Board member? Wouldn’t principals feel pressured to do what individual board members wanted even if they disagreed? Wouldn’t talented administrators from other districts hesitate to take positions in our district out of concern that the School Board might punish them for doing something a board member didn’t like?

The integrity and credibility of our school district depend to a considerable extent on the School Board’s integrity, ethics and adherence to proper procedures. The trust and confidence of our employees and community are essential and merit careful handling.

The opinions in this letter are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of my School Board colleagues.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 27, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/052706.pdf?ref=smdp.com)