A member of the Oakland, California, school board blasted the actions of the local teachers union in a blistering Monday letter announcing her resignation from the board.
Shanthi Gonzales announced her resignation from the board of the Oakland Unified School District in a lengthy resignation letter Monday after moving away from the Bay Area city. She had sat on the board for more than seven years.
Gonzales cited a series of examples of the union's efforts to stonewall changes in the district, including a one-day strike the union held on Friday over a contractual dispute, as well as opposition to efforts to merge or close some district schools. "It may be true that the working conditions of teachers are the learning conditions of our students, but the interests of teachers and students do not always coincide," she wrote."For example, we needed to re-open for in-person learning much earlier than we did, because students were suffering, especially students that need special and intensive services.
The former board member also accused the union of taking steps to stifle debate when faced with disagreement, most notably by flinging accusations of racism against district leaders and"attempting to silence board members and other community members through acts of intimidation," which Gonzales said included home vandalism, cutting internet cables at board meetings, and"accosting [members] outside their homes at midnight.