Smith Won’t Seek 3rd Term on School Board

San Diego city school board President Dorothy Smith said Sunday she will not run for a third term this year. Smith will officially announce her retirement Tuesday at the weekly board meeting.

Smith, an English teacher for the San Diego Community College District, told the Times that she believes that eight years is long enough for anyone to hold political office.

“And there are other educational goals I want to pursue,” she said, citing her desire to use more than two decades of teaching to begin addressing gaps in curriculum materials, especially those involving multicultural instruction.

Smith, who is black, has represented the board’s most multiethnic district covering southeast San Diego and Paradise Hills, with large numbers of blacks and Latinos as well as whites.

In the past year, Smith--together with board colleague Jim Roache--successfully proposed a revamping of the school system’s secondary school curriculum to require more college preparatory classes for more students.

Smith has repeatedly called for teachers to place higher demands on and provide more help for non-white students, who now compose a majority of students in the nation’s eighth largest school district.

“I’d like to do some things to help teachers, especially those in a quandary over how to teach black students,” Smith said.

Smith said she has been signaling her intention not to run for several months to various community educators.

Shirley Weber, a professor at San Diego State University, has already announced her intention to run for Smith’s seat.

The filing deadline is March 11 for the June primary. Smith said she will make no endorsement at this time.