States

State Journal

September 05, 2001 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Down on Top-Down

As the administrator charged with running the fourth school district taken over by the state of California, Henry Der possesses all the powers formerly held by the local school board and its superintendent. But he’s determined not to act that way.

Tapped by state Superintendent Delaine Eastin on Aug. 7 to run the 900-student Emery Unified School District, Mr. Der has to come up with a plan for restoring the debt-ridden district to solvency.

Under terms of a bailout bill that Gov. Gray Davis signed this summer, the district has up to 20 years to pay back $2.3 million in state loans. Until that debt is cleared, the district will have to be run by the state.

Mr. Der, a former deputy superintendent under Ms. Eastin, says one of his priorities will be to chart a new fiscal course for the three-school district that spares the classroom as much as possible. Equally important, he says, will be to avoid coming across as “the big bad state,” and instead work to build the capacity of local residents to govern their own schools.

“A top-down strategy will not succeed unless we develop, monitor, and strengthen local capacity and local involvement,” he said. “We don’t intend to stay here for 20 years.”

Sandwiched between Berkeley and Oakland in the bayside community of Emeryville, the district fell deeply in debt under former Superintendent J.L. Handy. Mr. Handy, who now faces criminal charges, had been fired in 1992 as the schools chief in Compton, Calif., amid allegations of financial mismanagement, shortly before that Southern California district was taken over by the state. (“Calif. Superintendent Leaves Second District in Disarray,” Jan. 10, 2001.)

Mr. Handy pleaded not guilty in July to two felony counts of misusing public funds stemming from allegations that he used his Emery Unified credit card on personal expenses, according to the Alameda County district attorney’s office. He also pleaded not guilty to a state conflict-of-interest charge connected to allegations that he improperly steered district grant-writing work to his girlfriend.

—Caroline Hendrie

Related Tags:

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Assessment Webinar
Reflections on Evidence-Based Grading Practices: What We Learned for Next Year
Get real insights on evidence-based grading from K-12 leaders.
Content provided by Otus
Artificial Intelligence K-12 Essentials Forum How AI Use Is Expanding in K-12 Schools
Join this free virtual event to explore how AI technology is—and is not—improving K-12 teaching and learning.
Federal Webinar Navigating the Rapid Pace of Education Policy Change: Your Questions, Answered
Join this free webinar to gain an understanding of key education policy developments affecting K-12 schools.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

States Oklahoma Will Cut Funding to Districts That Don't Sign Trump's Anti-DEI Pledge
The state says it will withhold federal funds from districts that don't sign a Trump administration DEI pledge.
8 min read
Ryan Walters, Republican state superintendent candidate, speaks, June 28, 2022, in Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters is pictured on June 28, 2022, in Oklahoma City when he was a candidate for the position he now holds. Walters this week told districts he would halt federal funding beginning Friday, April 25, if they don't certify they're not using diversity, equity, and inclusion programming in schools.
Sue Ogrocki/AP
States Tracker 'Illegal' DEI: See Which States Are Telling Trump Their Schools Don't Use It
The Education Department wants states and schools to sign a certification saying they don't use DEI. Here's how they're responding so far.
6 min read
DEI Removal 042025 506859558 1481700088
Collage by Gina Tomko/Education Week and Getty
States Democratic-Led Cities, States Push Back on Trump's Threats to Cut School Funding Over DEI
The standoff could test how far the White House is willing to go to press its demands on the nation’s schools.
4 min read
The exterior of the Department of Education Building in Washington, DC on Thursday, December 14, 2017.
The exterior of the Department of Education Building in Washington on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017.
Swikar Patel/Education Week
States Opinion How One State Improved Its NAEP Scores
Louisiana's state schools chief discusses the importance of reading and math instruction and "letting teachers teach."
6 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week