Still reeling from a cross-burning incident in a black family’s lawn in Arlington’s upscale Gleneagle neighborhood, the vice president of the homeowners association has asked the school district to include minority candidates in its search for a high school principal.
Principal Bob Penny is retiring at the end of the year.
"This is a great opportunity to begin the process of diversifying the faculty and staff at Arlington High School," the Gleneagle board member, Tom Hudson, wrote in a letter to Assistant Superintendent Warren Hopkins.
That opportunity will have to wait for future positions because the district is too far along in the hiring process, Hopkins said. "That job posting closed on March 19," he said.
The school board and a group of students and residents already have interviewed four candidates, and Superintendent Linda Byrnes was scheduled to recommend one at Monday’s board meeting.
Hudson wrote that he was disappointed when he learned none of the candidates were minorities.
In an interview, Hudson said he would have liked the district to do more.
"My theory is they could have changed their posting, extended their posting another week or 10 days, even if it came down to recruiting some minority candidates," he said.
Hudson, who is black, is a friend of Pastor Jason Martin, whose family was targeted in the cross burning. Hudson’s daughter, Chauntell, and Martin’s son, Tyshaun, are students at Arlington High and close friends.
Two 16-year-old white boys who had dropped out of the high school have been arrested on suspicion of the cross burning. Police reports allege the boys said they picked out the Martin house because of conflicts they had with Tyshaun Martin.
The school district invited Tyshaun Martin and two other minority students to join a panel of about a dozen students to interview the four candidates. Martin said he jumped at the chance.
"I just said basically you’ve got to look for somebody that hears out your community," Martin said. "Somebody that just doesn’t sit in the office or sit at a computer at a desk."
He and other minority students have not felt their complaints were dealt with firmly enough, he said.
"I really feel like just now they’re doing something about it," Martin said. "It’s pretty sad for something this big to happen before they do."
Hudson agreed, saying students who waved nooses or confederate flags at minorities did not face strict punishment. "They could have made a stronger stance, initially," he said. "You expel one student, and the others are going to catch on."
A more long-term commitment would be to hire minorities, Hudson said.
A Herald computer analysis of state records in 1998 found that minority enrollment in Arlington, Monroe and Stanwood was at least 6.4 percent, but less than 1 percent of the teaching faculty were minorities.
Hudson’s idea is that students of all backgrounds could learn greater sensitivity to racial diversity if they had more adult role models.
Other blacks in the community agree.
"It would send a very strong message that Arlington is going to put its money where its mouth is," said Jamaica Filgo, who in 1971 was Arlington High School’s third black graduate. "We’ve all got our diversity buttons on — well, let’s use them."
Hopkins did not take issue with the concept. "I agree with Mr. Hudson completely," Hopkins said.
Finding qualified minority candidates in Washington state can be difficult, however. The 1998 records showed that the four state universities graduated 1,513 whites, 50 Asians, 44 Hispanics, 20 blacks and 16 American Indians with teaching certificates.
Hudson would like the district to recruit in larger urban school districts that might have more minority teachers and administrators.
Hopkins called that a "valid suggestion."
"One of the things I mentioned to Tom is that, because he has some connections to education, if he knew of anybody we could specifically send a letter to, let us know," Hopkins said.
But Hudson and Filgo each said community leaders need to reach out more to the minority community. Hudson said he has offered to volunteer in schools.
"The answer is always, ‘We’ll keep you in mind. We’ll give you a call,’ " Hudson said. "My phone never rang once."
"I’m still waiting for a phone call," Filgo agreed.
Mayor Margaret Larson, who also received a copy of the letter, said city leaders are planning a public forum to discuss racial issues. A time and date have not been set yet.
"Is there a black person on the City Council?" Filgo said. "I think we might have to change that."
Reporter Scott Morris: 425-339-3292 or smorris@heraldnet.com.
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