Published: Monday, July 12, 2010
Embattled Marysville School Board member announces resignation
MARYSVILLE — School board member Michael Kundu announced his resignation on Monday night without directly addressing the controversy over race that led to his departure.
In his resignation letter, Kundu urges the remaining four board members to “aggressively pursue the best available science” to aid academic performance.
His resignation is effective today.
Kundu ignited a firestorm of criticism in early June when he argued in e-mails that race plays a “definitive factor” in intelligence.
His decision to resign came three weeks to the day after his fellow board members unanimously asked him to leave office. The group then called his remarks “utterly baseless and highly offensive.”
Kundu’s resignation letter focuses on his accomplishments, singling out his work for minority students. Kundu was first elected in 2003.
He ends the letter by urging the school board to create a permanent seat for a tribal member on the school board. The district has nearly 12,000 students. About 9 percent are American Indian.
“I have discussed and pursued this goal for a number of years unsuccessfully,” he writes, “but still hold firm that such a permanent position would only benefit the communication, engagement, and accountability between the district leadership and the Tulalip students.”
Andy Rathbun: 425-339-3455; arathbun@heraldnet.com
In his resignation letter, Kundu urges the remaining four board members to “aggressively pursue the best available science” to aid academic performance.
His resignation is effective today.
Kundu ignited a firestorm of criticism in early June when he argued in e-mails that race plays a “definitive factor” in intelligence.
His decision to resign came three weeks to the day after his fellow board members unanimously asked him to leave office. The group then called his remarks “utterly baseless and highly offensive.”
Kundu’s resignation letter focuses on his accomplishments, singling out his work for minority students. Kundu was first elected in 2003.
He ends the letter by urging the school board to create a permanent seat for a tribal member on the school board. The district has nearly 12,000 students. About 9 percent are American Indian.
“I have discussed and pursued this goal for a number of years unsuccessfully,” he writes, “but still hold firm that such a permanent position would only benefit the communication, engagement, and accountability between the district leadership and the Tulalip students.”
Andy Rathbun: 425-339-3455; arathbun@heraldnet.com
Story tags »
• Education & Schools • Marysville School District • Social Issues • Minority groups • RacismComments
(
