L.A. Choice of Superintendent

William J. Johnston, past superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, put forth in The Times (Opinion, May 24) some of the most bizarre ideas and rationalizations as to why Leonard M. Britton was the correct choice to succeed Harry Handler as superintendent of the district. According to Johnston, “Board members were faced with the dilemma of picking a deputy superintendent representing one ethnic group and thus probably alienating another.”

Let’s set the record straight. There were three finalists: William Anton, a Latino, Sydney Thompson, a black, and Leonard M. Britton, an Anglo. In Johnston’s world, Anton and Thompson are part of ethnic groups but not Britton. Furthermore, Anton and Thompson are from minority communities but not Britton.

The facts tell another story. Eighty-two percent of the students in the district are not white. Apparently, what’s at work here is not numbers or percentages, nor insiders or outsiders, but a way of thinking that permeates our society. According to Johnston’s theory, out of fear of not alienating either the black or Latino community, the board settled for the Anglo candidate.

Is the Anglo candidate supposed to be a compromise? Is Britton’s selection supposed to placate the black and Latino communities?

Based on the decision of the board, one can assume that they believe that only Anglos are capable of leading. Only recently did Al Campanis of the Dodgers have to step down from his post for espousing a similar way of thinking. And, of course, it would be wrong to castigate Johnston for his views because apparently he is not alone in his way of thinking. Witness the letters in The Times (May 25), in which the writers attempted to rationalize Britton’s choice by the use of Orwellian logic.

According to one, “I find it highly ironic that the same minority groups that complain endlessly about racism are now going after Leonard Britton, the new superintendent of schools, simply because the man happened to be born white.”

It is true that many individuals wanted to see a Latino or black educator ascend to the post of superintendent, but not on the basis of their race but rather because of their respective positions within the district. Anton and Thompson were Nos. 2 and 3 behind the highly praised and outgoing superintendent, Handler. What the board, Johnston and the letter writer don’t seem to comprehend is that the selection of Britton gives the appearance that the two most qualified candidates within the district, who earned their way to the top and who happen to be Latino and black, were bypassed in favor of an Anglo. All the defenders of the status quo would have us believe that individuals who protest an apparent racist action in effect are also racists. Incredible.

Yes, there has been alienation. The wishes of the majority have been ignored and, most important, we have seen every rationalization ever invented as to why Britton is the right choice. Just as Campanis gave us his true views, the board has given the Los Angeles community a clear message: If you’re Latino or black, don’t aspire for the top--it’s reserved for those with a certain color of skin.

ROBERTO RODRIGUEZ

Los Angeles