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VIEWPOINT

Wesley is the Right Choice for EUSD

Connection Staff
May 2008

The Emery Unified School District Board of Trustees made a wise choice in naming Dr. Stephen Wesley to the permanent Superintendent position in April. Wesley had been serving as the Interim Superintendent since last November.

Wesley was not an unknown quantity at the time of his selection. He was hired by Dr. Tony Smith, the previous EUSD Superintendent, who commanded a very high degree of respect, admiration and affection throughout the entire Emeryville community for his strength, wisdom, leadership and vision. The fact that Smith hired Wesley by itself made Wesley a credible candidate.

But Wesley accomplished much on his own merits. He hit the ground running, serving first as Deputy Superintendent under Tony Smith, then in the interim position after Dr. Smith left Emery last Fall to accept a position with the San Francisco Unified School District.

Wesley proved himself almost immediately, easing into the Interim Superintendent smoothly and quickly grasping the complexities of managing Emery’s small but dynamic schools. He’s a relaxed and charismatic public figure who navigates seamlessly among the disparate and demanding elements impacting the schools: parents, teachers and staff, students, school board and city council members, business partners and the community at large.

Like most good administrators, Wesley readily grasps that he has both an “inside” and “outside” role. Internally, he is called upon to work with the principals, faculty, staff, parents and school board member to ensure that the Emery School District runs smoothly on a daily basis and is in a position to grow and meet the challenges of the future. Externally, Wesley realizes that he is the “face” of the EUSD: the District’s cheerleader, spokesperson, fundraiser, community liaison and representative in public forums.

It’s a big job, and with the State’s fiscal problems seemingly growing worse by the day, the challenges loom larger than ever. But we’re convinced that Dr. Stephen Wesley is the right man for the job. We applaud the EUSD Board’s unanimous selection of Dr. Wesley and stand ready to work with him and the community to continue the tremendous progress of our Emery Schools.