Superintendent Search
An Asian Pacific American Superintendent?

"At Galileo, there are some popular [students]. Sometimes when they look at you, new students, it’s not so comfortable to walk in the courtyard where students eat. Immigrants, just like me, go to the cafeteria. They would like to go to the courtyard and smell the fresh air but stay in the cafeteria the whole time."

So says 16-year-old Jeff Liu, who spent a year learning the English language and American culture at Newcomer High School before transferring to the Galileo Academy of Science and Technology near Fisherman’s Wharf. He found the transition difficult, an experience shared by thousands of Asian American schoolchildren who speak limited English.

In San Francisco, those kids make up more than a sixth of children in the public schools, which must strive not only to meet their needs but those of classmates who come from every racial background and social strata. Given that the district faces the shortfall of millions of dollars very soon, that’s a big job—and probably a big reason why neither San Francisco or Oakland has quickly secured a permanent superintendent.

"We need to bring people together, and that’s the challenge of any urban superintendency–there is such a scarcity of resources [but] everyone has needs, and everyone wants programs," said Carole Quan, who until this month headed the Oakland district. "And how do we meet everyone’s needs knowing that there are 4 cents to every dollar we can play with?"

Quan, who resigned her post last month under pressure, said she has not been approached about the San Francisco job. Nor has Deputy State Superintendent Henry Der, who indicated he would not rule out the opportunity if offered. Of any Asian American, Supervisor Leland Yee’s name has come up the most in informal discussions—but he has repeatedly said he does not want the job.

Though school board members are tight-lipped about who they’ve talked to, some names have emerged. Of those whose names have been floated and who want the job, none, apparently, are Asian American.

WHAT ABOUT THE KIDS?

That could be particularly important in San Francisco, where about half the city’s 61,000 schoolchildren are of Asian descent—making it the most Asian of any large school district in California. And contrary to popular stereotypes, not all of them are straight-A superachievers—not by a long shot.

In San Francisco, the kids most at risk include many of the district’s 19,370 English-language learners. Though state statistics show that most of the two million limited-English speakers statewide are Latino, most in San Francisco are of Asian descent. Fifty-one percent are of Chinese, Filipino or Vietnamese ancestry; Latinos make up an additional 37 percent.

Finding a way to help such children will be among the new superintendent’s toughest challenges. Limited-English speaking children have been vulnerable since last year’s passage of Proposition 227, which sought to end most bilingual-education programs—and they stand to be among the hardest hit when $37 million in federal consent decree funding dries up before 2002, as expected.

Although Galileo student Jeff Liu says he’s now doing well, and is maintaining a 3.3 GPA, not everyone is as successful or lucky, said Darin Ow-Wing, director of Community Educational Services. Many young Asian immigrants fall through the cracks, he suspects, because they stay quiet and attract little attention even as they fail classes.

Drop-out rates of less than 10 percent among Asian and Asian American students make many educators "think Chinese youths must be doing fine," said Ow-Wing, who works with adolescents in his center near Chinatown. "But Asian youth show academic risk in different ways. The superintendent has to be aware of that."

"My feeling is that the schools do not take into account the cultural experience" of students, said Act One Director Li Cho, whose group works with many young Asian immigrants. "When you are coming from another country, trying to fit into schools that are not sensitive to that is difficult. From immigrant youths, especially limited English speakers, there is so much anxiety."

Debunking the "Asian straight-A stereotype," such students tend to score near the bottom on standardized tests when they take them—which many haven’t had to under Superintendent Bill Rojas. Even though questions have been raised in Dallas about DUIs he reportedly received in 1984 and 1990, his departure to that city is believed to be imminent.

That’s why Cho is among those hoping the board will quickly find the person who will best understand the needs of the district’s 61,000 children—about half of whom are Asian American. And their needs go beyond bilingual education and into other parts of curriculum, said Youn-Cha Chey, an educator and executive director of San Francisco’s Korean Center.

"We have to ask if there are any texts that deal with Asian history," she said. "If [a student] graduates without learning about the contributions of Asians, how do we expect the child to grow up with pride?"

"Every ethnic community takes pride in leadership," said Oakland Superintendent Quan. "In Oakland, there was a lot of participation in the national searches for superintendent prior to my arrival. There was pride from the African American community when Mrs. [Carolyn] Getridge was selected.

"Coming from the experience of an ethnic community, you bring all that history, all the struggles, and all the issues. Our community felt the Asian voice was never a prominent one. We want the needs of not just the Chinese students but the needs of our Cambodian and Vietnamese students and their parents represented. You work so that everyone has the same access to resources.

"As Asians, we come to the 20th century with a history of struggle, maybe not as poignant as the African American experience, but certainly able to understand from which rights were denied. We have the struggle as a people, and then also we need to be able to bridge the divide to the white people in terms of what were inherently their rights and how they need to understand the history of the people of color."

SUPERINTENDENT YEE?

Around City Hall, many have suggested that an ideal candidate is Supervisor Leland Yee.

"It has been suggested by a lot of people in City Hall that [Yee] would be a good candidate," said City Administrator Bill Lee. "Fifty percent of the school population is Asian American, with Chinese making up the largest number," about 28 percent, he said.

"It makes sense to interview [Yee] who has a Ph.D. in psychology and experience on the school board."

But Yee, a child psychologist by training who served on the school board for eight years, has repeatedly stated that he is not inclined to pursue that track.

"There’s a lot of interest, not on my part," he said. "I’m flattered and humbled by that. I know the school district; I know the issues, but I’m also one of those who believe in term limits and constantly allowing for new generations to assume power."

Still, like many of those who have dropped Yee’s name, the supervisor himself said he would welcome a Chinese American superintendent. "There are so many issues that are troubling the school district and because of the large Chinese, Asian population, when the school district missteps, it’s a giant footprint."

Nonetheless, Yee said he is happy being a supervisor and has no plans to change that for the next four-plus years—unless he decides to run for mayor, which he says is still a possibility. Though he would be an underdog against Brown, he might still cut the mayor’s numbers, especially among Asian Americans.

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