July 29, 2005

HIGH SCHOOL SCENE

Former ESUHSD superintendent moves on

Search for interim superintendent begins

By Bea Baechle
Editor

Surrounded by family, friends and staff, Dr. Esperanza Zendejas unveiled her third book, “Wings of Bamboo,” a collection of childhood stories, at the Mexican Heritage Center on June 27.

Dr. Esperanza Zendejas hosted a book signing celebration just four days before her abrupt resignation. She has written and self-published three books and is working on her fourth book, a fiction called “Chicken Molé.”

She looked radiant in a bright yellow, tailored suit, reminiscent of the sun-drenched Mexican village where she was born, happily mingling with her guests. Answering questions from the crowd and later signing her books for a long line of well-wishers, Zendejas looked more comfortable than any other time during her tumultuous two-year tenure as East Side Union High School District’s superintendent.

Having tackled fiscal mismanagement, structural business practice problems and fiscal unaccountability, she was sometimes characterized as a stoic, autocratic leader who could not build the necessary relationships to gain consensus. Yet perhaps the worst was over.

Or not. Only two of the district’s five board members and one former board member attended her book signing fund-raiser benefiting the Mexican Heritage Center. Four days later, she abruptly announced her resignation.

Legal constraints keep anyone from speaking freely of the sudden shift. Yet board president Manuel Herrera recently commented, “Dr. Zendejas came at a very difficult transition time, with a perfect storm of issues that needed to be faced. All around, she and the board working together and did everything possible, and after two years, both Dr. Zendejas and the board thought it would be best for her to seek new opportunities.

“If you look at the East Side Union High School District—school site by school site—you will see that some extraordinary work is going on,” he added. “The loss of a superintendent after two years is merely a moment of course correction. We’re still heading towards a bright future.”

Trustee Craig Mann said the he was deeply saddened by her resignation. “Dr. Zendejas cleaned up the corruption she inherited, placed the district on sound financial footing—saving the district from bankruptcy. She raised expectations and test scores, rid the district of ineffective personnel and led the district with integrity and honesty. I’m confident that she’ll land on her feet with a better employer, one that will respect and appreciate her. … It’s certainly the district’s loss, not hers.”

Nunez as acting superintendent
Herrera explained that the board of trustees appointed Human Resources Officer Bob Nunez in the role of acting superintendent and hopes to select an interim superintendent by mid-August. The board anticipates that the person appointed interim superintendent will be in that position for up to a year while they search for a permanent superintendent.

Human Resources Chief Bob Nunez has been appointed acting superintendent.

Nunez, who has expressed interest in the job, hopes that whoever comes on board will be able to embrace the positive changes that have been made, “but also spend a lot of time building relationships both with the educational community—the teacher’s union, the classified union and the administrators—and everyone else.”

According to Herrera, there are efforts underway within the district to support such candidates as former chief academic office Art Darin and former deputy superintendent Bill Kuegler.

Key leaders from the two major bargaining units—the East Side Teachers Association and the California School Employees Association—have publicly shown support for Nunez in the interim position.

Zendejas comments
In a phone interview from her home at The Villages in Evergreen, Zendejas admits that she would have preferred a longer tenure. “But with everything said and done, this is in the best interest of both parties,” she noted.

“I accomplished a lot, and there are probably things, like with any superintendent, I could have done better. I learned a lot and I hope the system learned a lot under me as well,” continued Zendejas.

“I think there were very trying moments (from issues) that I inherited—issues that a superintendent doesn’t normally inherit, and I dealt with them professionally and forthrightly and with the highest level of integrity,” she continued.
“I have nothing to be ashamed of, other than doing what was best for the system,” added Zendejas, who corrected questionable business practices and revoked the credit cards issued freely throughout the district.

“The citizens of the East Side community should feel good that the district, in my opinion, is functioning more efficiently and effectively based on my short tenure,” she said. “Academically, the district moved forward, the (API) scores went up and a tremendous amount of accountability was placed on people and the system.”

She agrees that some of her initiatives, such as common dress, were not well received and that she probably should have consulted with stakeholders, such as students and parents, before barreling ahead with a recommendation.

But hindsight is 20-20, and Zendejas is moving forward with a severance package that granted her 18 months pay—roughly $337,000. Her husband, who had stayed behind in Indiana for the past two years, just accepted a job as principal for CCOC and now joins his wife in San Jose. According to Zendejas, he loves his job.

Next steps
For now, Zendejas says she is doing a lot of things that she hasn’t had time to do—like work on her golf handicap.

On a more serious note, she is the phoenix rising, looking at all her options. In addition to working on a couple of out-of-state consultancies bet-ween now and December, she also plans to promote some of her books and complete a one-woman, comedy-satire show that she started a while back.

She is also completing her fourth book, a fiction called “Chicken Molé,” and working on a second publication dealing with the issue of why Hispanics are not succeeding in our educational systems and the travesty of the immigrant’s dream for educational success.

“I’m writing a variety of essays on different views of education and why I believe many of our students are quitting before they get started,” she said. “I’d like to thank the community for giving me the chance to serve them, and I wish the board, the district—and most of all—the students continued success.”

A special board meeting to appoint the interim superintendent is scheduled for Aug. 18 and the next regular board meeting is Aug. 25. For updates, go to www.esuhsd.org.