Pedicone takes a stand

by David Safier

TUSD Superintendent Pedicone has decided to become an actor in the MAS confrontation, or at least make noises in that direction. My mixed reaction is somewhere between "Congratulations" and "It's about time."

The Weekly covered Pedicone's transformation in Wednesday's Skinny and the Star picked it up this morning.

According to the Weekly, Pedicone talked with Raul Aguirre, chair of the MAS Community Advisory Board, about where things stand. The Star doesn't mention the conversation in its story, which centers on a letter Pedicone sent to the Community Advisory Board and Unidos, the youth coalition fighting to preserve the MAS program.

Putting the two reports together, it looks like Pedicone has recommended the TUSD Board table President Stegeman's resolution indefinitely — at least until Huppenthal makes a statement about whether Ethnic Studies violates the law — and the forum he proposed keep a narrow focus on MAS instead of covering a wider range of issues and involve the students and the Latino community in the forum.

Pedicone bowed to pressure, saw the light or a combination of the two. Whatever the impetus, he did the right thing. But his actions and statements make it clear he could and should have made clear statements earlier rather than biding his time, holding his finger in the wind. It's a lesson he needs to learn. Inaction is one form of action. "No comment" is a comment. If you're the top guy and don't take a stand, especially in a controversial issue like this, you're running the risk of letting the situation spin out of control, which is exactly what happened. We'll see if his belated actions help.