Letter to the Eureka superintendent on Academy of the Redwoods

I was appalled to read the article on the Redheaded Blackbelt (tinyurl. com/5n7ecmw2) and the linked letter from your district’s attorney (tinyurl.com/ ycx2xu2n), Lozano Smith, (recently) regarding your efforts to take over Academy of the Redwoods from Fortuna Union High School District (FUHSD). I am extremely disappointed that you would choose to use public funds and employee man-hours to try to steal the beautiful work of others in your community.

In the early 2000s, Eureka City Schools had the opportunity to partner with FUHSD, Humboldt County Office of Education, College of the Redwoods, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to build what has become Academy of the Redwoods. Jim Scott, ECS Superintendent at the time, opted to not participate. Since then, FUHSD has invested all of the money and staff used to build a valuable educational resource for all of Humboldt County. And you want to simply take ownership of it because it lies within your district’s geographic boundary? That’s akin to telling your neighbor that, because he parked his car in front of your home, it now belongs to you, despite the fact that you’ve made no payments and done no maintenance. Pathetic.

The model you are setting for the students in your district is disgraceful. You’re promoting the simple idea of theft. You’re telling your students by your actions that, if they want something valuable that belongs to their neighbor, they should just take it; if you like someone else’s paper, just plagiarize it. It would be more honest of you to just change the Eureka High School mascot from a Logger to a Pirate, and make the motto of the school, “You build it, we’ll steal it!”

If this is the action you wish to pursue, it clearly shows that you don’t have the judgment, character, or values to lead the Eureka City Schools district to educational excellence. Poaching the educational excellence of others will not work. Please announce your resignation as soon as possible so that our School Board can begin the work of finding someone with the vision, character, and work ethic to make our City Schools an organization that can properly educate our children, and that we citizens can be proud of.

If this is the action you wish to pursue, it clearly shows that you don’t have the judgment, character, or values to lead the Eureka City Schools district to educational excellence.