Those of us who believe in public education have an obligation to be open and honest about the progress our schools are making. In that spirit, I co-sponsored a resolution inviting the new Secretary of Education to visit San Diego Unified. The intention was to help her learn all the things that public schools are doing well. We also believed – and still believe – that her narrow ideologically driven view of our schools does not stand up to the facts. So, my intention was to challenge her views openly and in a public setting. Given the polarizing nature of the DeVos nomination and confirmation vote, however, it is clear this would be the wrong time to engage the Secretary in dialogue. Now is the time for those of us who believe in public education to stand together and confront the threat clearly posed by the DeVos ideology. Therefore, I have decided to withdraw my co-sponsorship for this resolution, which effectively kills the measure. I apologize to all of those we excluded from the conversation by moving forward so quickly. Our intention was not to exclude anyone from the process, and so I hope we can now all move forward together to create a genuine conversation about the future of our schools with the public we serve. Richard Barrera
Board President