Concerned Citizen: Hispanic Women

I am very concerned with the messages being sent to the women and girls of Kern County. Last week the largest high school district in California, the Kern High School District, named two white males as assistant superintendent; Assistant Superintendent of Business and Assistant Superintendent of Instruction. Now I know this doesn’t sound that bad at first glance, but as a Hispanic woman looking a little closer I have real problems with the message this send to me and my daughters. Did you know that there was a Principal that applied for these positions that had 14 years experience as a Principal, the most experienced Principal in the KHSD. Did you know that this Principal, Blanca Cavazos, is a Hispanic woman who had also been an Assistant Principal and a Dean of Students for many years? Did you know that this Hispanic woman Principal had been moved from Arvin High School to the District office just one year ago to head a task force to improve instruction in the district? Did you know that Blanca Cavazos was named in the Bakersfield Life Magazine in July 2010 as one of “Thirteen People to Watch” in Kern County listing her many accomplishments in Education. Apparently her promotion to a district level position and her accomplishments as an administrator for last 20 years do not meet the needs of this district, want to know who does? Read On….

The point that I would like to make is this, the KHSD Superintendent, Dr. Donald Carter, bypassed this woman, with credentials that meet every requirement of the job, for two white male candidates. Did you know that these men have a combined experience as Principal of less than three years? Mike Zulfa has been Principal at South High School for 18 Months and Scott Cole was named Principal of Arvin High School just 9 months ago when he replaced Blanca Cavazos as she was promoted to the position of Task Force Administrator under the current Associate Superintendent, Joe Thompson.

What do I tell my daughters? I have spent the last 15 years telling them that they can be anything they choose to be as long as they work hard, get good grades, and go to college. Now the very district that is educating them has pretty much said…..”Not Here!….if you are not a white male then you’ll have to go somewhere else to break that glass ceiling.” How do I continue to tell my Hispanic daughters that they have every opportunity to succeed in Kern County when their school district has just shown them that it is not true?

Sincerely, a concerned mother

Silvia Cuevas