With all respect and consideration, Ms. Jaffe has long embodied all that is good and noble in education. Her conduct as an administrator has earned the respect of teachers, unions, administration and me. One benefit of Ms. Jaffe undertaking the role of interim superintendent is her sustained knowledge of our district which is singularly greater than the combined memory of all the current board members and district administrative leadership. She has demonstrated strong organizational management skills in her current role, strong educational management when, as site administrator for CCMS it first earned acclaim as a California School to Watch or Blue Ribbon. She understands the needs of teachers in the classroom which has been demonstrated by her strong advocacy of the BITSA program even in the face of necessary budget cuts. However, those instances did not then or now cause me to lose faith in her abilities or commitment to the education of the children. I do not know how well she plays district politics, but if she has earned the respect of either union leaders even in disagreement, that speaks well to me.
All that being said, I do not know who else is in consideration or if Ms. Jaffe is even amenable to the idea of undertaking the role and having to address our current school board. One of the main responsibilities of the superintendent is to execute the policies of the school board. I support Ms. Jaffe as a selection for the reasons stated above IF she is interested in the role. There is nobody else within the district of whom I am aware who possesses the skills for the role at this point in time.
Respectfully,
Alan Elmont
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