Wapato teachers, parents seek to oust superintendent

WAPATO, Wash. -- Wapato parents and teachers upset about dual-language classes being yanked from the school district are now calling for the removal of the superintendent.

Parents and teachers squeezed into Wednesday night's Wapato school board meeting and handed board members a proclamation calling for the removal of Superintendent Becky Imler.

Members of the teachers union also presented school board members with a vote of no confidence in Imler and her staff.

Teachers voted 114 to 39 for her removal, said Gerene Sadberry, president of the Wapato Education Association.

Nearly 50 of the roughly 200 teachers in the district abstained from voting because they feared for their jobs, she added.

In addition to having the dual-language program eliminated, teachers say they are also upset about a lack of planning time and the afternoon recess schedule.

Imler couldn't be reached for comment Thursday, but school board president Ron Wilcox said the board continues to support her.

"I really don't have any comment on it. We weren't involved in it," Wilcox said of the teachers' vote. "We have confidence in our superintendent, and we feel we're headed in the right direction."

Wilcox said Wapato school board members are planning to hold a larger meeting at which school officials, teachers and parents can discuss the problems.

"They have legitimate concerns and we need to meet with them, and we're putting together a process to do that," he said.

Students in the dual- language program were taught equally in English and Spanish for years. The format was designed to give Spanish-speaking students a strong foundation in their native language while also teaching them English.

The program ended starting with the new school year Sept. 1. Wapato's students are now taught in English with help in Spanish.

District officials say students weren't learning English fast enough under a dual-language model, and that cuts in state funding made the program too difficult to administer.

The school board was confronted by angry parents last month, many claiming they had not been notified about the change in dual language classes until after the decision was made. They demanded the program be restored.

"We feel like we're not being heard," substitute teacher and parent Elvia Lopez said Thursday. "They don't care. They don't care what the parents are saying."

But Wilcox defended the change in academic policy and said it would help students grasp English faster.

"We're on the right track as a school district," he said. "Test scores are beginning to improve."