Staff
For the first time in DUSD history, three young Latino parents get a seat on the school district’s Governing Board at the same time. However, resistance to change is still far from the Board of Education where the key executive chairs were elected to the North American majority.
On Tuesday, 15, at the Downey Unified Board of Education’s virtual organizational meeting, D. Mark Morris was elected president of the Board of Education. Other officers include Barbara Samperi as vice president and Martha Sodetani as clerk.
This, even though according to data from the DUSD website, Latino students who attend schools within the school district represent the vast majority at 87 percent. In contrast, white teachers who work in schools represent 60 percent of the total, as well as the Board itself with a white majority of 57 percent, who also occupy the three directive chairs.
In this way, they welcomed José Rodríguez, elected in trustee area two, Linda Saldaña in area four, and the re-elected Giovanna Pérez from area three. All three with children studying within the school district, and with an average age of 40 years-old, who will have to wait for at least two years for one of them to obtain a leadership chair.
Outgoing President Donald E. LaPlante will be retiring from the Board after serving the students and families of Downey Unified for 41 years.
This may sound like an experienced person, but it also tells us about the lack of fresh ideas, of people updated on the problems of children and young students, and even more so after this year for the first time, many alumni and students expressed publicly their concern because of racism and sexism that occurs in district schools.
Prerecorded presentations and certificates were provided from various elected officials thanking LaPlante as well as retiring Vice President Tod Corrin.
D. Mark Morris presented both retirees with a commemorative gavel, on behalf of the entire Board of Education, thanking both for their leadership and combined 58 years of service.
Included in the evening’s virtual ceremony was a sanctioned Oath of Office reelecting members Giovanna Perez-Saab and newly elected president D. Mark Morris who were voted into their respective trustee areas in November.
Additionally, newly elected members Jose J. Rodriguez and Linda Saldaña were also welcomed to the Board of Education and sworn into office.
Opinion of the members
We asked for a few words from the Latino members of the Board of Education, but only Linda Saldaña answered.
She said that for now she´s not overly concerned about being part of the Latino minority, “I need four votes for something to happen that interests us, and for that I have to win one of them“, referring to officials Mark Morris, Martha Sodetani, Barbara Samperi and Nancy Swenson, none by the way, have children studying within the Downey school district.
And added that one of her priorities is for students to return to their schools soon; “We would continue with distance learning for families who don´t want to return, but there are many parents and children who do want to, and they don´t have that option,” she said.
