Is there anyone on the Philadelphia Board of Education who is brave enough to include qualified Latino candidates for school superintendent worthy of a closer look?
At a time when Latinos are meeting the expectations of the Black and White power brokers of the city, with their excellent qualifications and experience with top-notch credentials and with hard-life experience; it would be “a slap in this community’s face» if no Latino appears on the shortlist of candidates for the soon to be vacant School District of Philadelphia position.
«Concerned Latinos are looking for a transparent, restrained, and inclusive superintendent selection process,» Jose Rivera, who identified himself as a 10th-grade public school student, said from the barber’s chair to the applause and murmurs of support from the young people waiting for their hair cuts.
“Clearly, the process should ensure genuine and honest participation of Latino students, parents, school district employees, and other stakeholders to make sure Latino candidates get a fair shot at the job,” yelled Hector Ortiz, over the heated discussion on the subject.
It is encouraging that the presence of school administrators, teachers, parents, and other stakeholders are being invited to meet with the finalist. This is telling of a board of education that fosters diversity and inclusion that fosters support for the transition of a new superintendent.
The Latino student population in Philadelphia is the third largest — behind African Americans and ethnic Whites — yet they remain underserved as an ignored minority. Although this community shares many of the other minority groups’ issues, many face the additional problems of Limited English Proficiency, different native customs, and lack of school administrators who aren’t afraid to play an advocacy role for them. These students’ skin color is black and white and shades in between, but they do not find ready acceptance from either race. Their educational level goes from zero to middle/high school dropouts, to postgraduate degrees. Many of the academically prepared, move away from the Barrio and do well for their families, while too many live in low-income communities riddled with drug abuse, community violence, lack of appropriate city services, and gentrification.
The Philadelphia Board of Education must be held accountable and pushed to include Latino representation, and not the same familiar faces, but rather, new energetic activist leaders who are unbeholden to anyone but the student’s best educational interest in the superintendent search process.
