In a scene from his literary masterpiece, “Don Quixote,” Miguel de Cervantes depicts the eponymous main character, riding at breakneck speed on horseback, lance leveled for the attack, at windmills he’d mistaken for giants. The scene, while comical, is an allegory with a number of interpretations. The most common, however, is that of a battle that cannot be won or fighting an unbeatable foe.
Why am I talking about “Don Quixote” in my opinion piece? Simple. After attending the last five Chester area District Advisory or “7-11” Committee meetings, I find myself asking if the committee is fighting a battle that cannot be won.
We applaud the courage of Plumas County teachers to step forward and speak truth to power at last week’s school board meeting. The Plumas County Teachers Association said publicly what many teachers and staff members have been telling us privately for several years now: they work in “a climate of intimidation and fear of retaliation.” The statement was part of PCTA’s no-confidence vote in Superintendent Glenn Harris.
In 1994, I sought a promotion that I didn’t want.
I had been in the Legislature for 18 years, representing Lassen, Plumas and other counties in the far north of California. I loved serving in the Assembly. I didn’t do anything wrong! I didn’t even come close to committing a felony, unless putting about 90 good laws on the books was wrong.
I have had the dubious privilege of watching school superintendent Glenn Harris operate for the last several years, not just as a reporter, but also as a parent, grandmother and representative of Plumas Charter School. The current situation comes as no surprise to me, he has been telegraphing his moves since late 2009.
Plumas Unified School District has real problems based on declining enrollment and a statewide budget crisis.
Alicia Knadler
While Plumas County residents and school district administrators have joined in battle, one parent brings stark examples from the hills of West Virginia, where school closures were initiated on a wide scale.
A member of the Indian Valley School Closure and Consolidation Committee, her task was to research similar situations and their outcomes.
The summary she shares is a grim one, with echoes of similarity that seem to stretch across the continent and the mists of time.
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