Ethnic Politics: Be Careful

In many ways Sid Thompson is a logical choice to become interim chief of the Los Angeles Unified School District following the unexpected resignation of Supt. Bill Anton. So it is most unfortunate that ethnic politics has overshadowed the reports that he is favored for the temporary post by a majority of the school board.

Thompson, a 36-year veteran of the district and an African-American, was Anton’s chief deputy for two years, has a thorough understanding of how the nation’s second-biggest public school system is run and has education credentials that were impressive enough to have made him a finalist for the top job in 1987. And given that Anton departed not long after most students returned to school for the fall--and with the district facing a fiscal crisis of unprecedented scope--Thompson is also a safe and sound choice.

But citing the fact that more than 60% of the school district’s students are Spanish-surnamed, some Latino activists demanded that another Latino replace Anton, a Mexican-American.

Sadly, what began as a reasonable proposal--we hope all the candidates for superintendent will have experience dealing with Latino students and sensitivity to their needs--has hardened into a stance that apparently allows for no compromise. Some activists even threatened to hold Latino students out of school if Thompson is selected, a sad example of how shortsighted some people become when political rhetoric overheats.

What should be at issue here is the quality of the education that children are getting, not the ethnicity of the bureaucrat who will oversee that education from afar. And if quality matters, the best person must be chosen for the job, with ethnicity, sex, age and other such factors being secondary considerations.

Clearly, the Latino community must be taken fully into account when the future of this city’s school are discussed. And, though we have attributed many shortcomings to school board members, we don’t doubt their intelligence and we fully expect them to include many Latinos on their list of candidates. In the meantime, all who care about kids must come together to make sure that all the district’s youngsters get the best education possible.