Criticized by Some, Principal Bows Out

Santa Monica High School Principal Bernard (Nardy) Samuels has resigned, signaling the end of a long dispute between him and some teachers over the school’s direction. The resignation takes effect June 30.

Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Supt. Neil Schmidt said Samuels’ departure was an amicable one. He said he was not surprised when he opened Samuels’ resignation letter, which he relayed to the school board late last week.

“Last spring, (Samuels) shared with me that he was facing a lot of challenges,” Schmidt said. “He said he was not getting as much support from the community and staff as he would like, and that he was going to give it another year and see how it went.”

Samuels, 45, refused to comment on the reasons for his resignation. He said he has not decided what he will do next.

But he did pledge that education at the 2,500-student campus would not be disrupted as a result of his departure.

“My behavior isn’t going to change,” he said. “The year will close as efficiently as possible. Everything that is going on will continue to go on.”

Board member Michael Hill said he believes Samuels is simply ready “for a change in life.” He said Samuels faced unusually difficult challenges during his five-year tenure.

Problems facing all Los Angeles schools, such as ethnic tensions and violence on campus, were growing, Hill said. And Samuels oversaw two large, controversial projects--restructuring of the curriculum and planning for a major campus renovation.

Some teachers and school officials said that Samuels also became a target for criticism about the poor condition of the campus, even though his ability to deal with the problems was limited. Tight district finances prevented Samuels from carrying a full maintenance and security crew, which resulted in more trash and graffiti, and less outdoor supervision, they said.

“The man’s shouldered a heavy burden,” Hill said. “I think that he got tired.”

It was the restructuring program, led by Samuels, that generated the most criticism.

The program was the school’s approach to implementing some of the innovations in curriculum and teaching methods that have emerged from the national educational reform movement in recent years.

Among the changes envisioned were an expansion of team teaching in some subjects, and a blurring of some traditional academic divisions by teaching some subjects--such as literature, history and English--in combination. English teacher Robert Thais, coordinator of the restructuring effort, said some teachers, particularly veteran ones, were initially resistant to some of the changes.

Many who resisted have become more open to change and are contributing to the plans, Thais said, but he added that Samuels developed a reputation for giving rough treatment to teachers who disagreed with him in the early going.

“Nardy wanted to come into the school and make some big changes,” Thais said. “He really rubbed many people the wrong way who basically felt that the changes were more educationally trendy than educationally sound.”

The extent of the conflict was made clear last year when the district offered an early retirement incentive as a cost-cutting measure. Fourteen teachers, including some regarded as among the school’s best, accepted the buy-out, said Ronne Fonfa, president of the school district’s classroom teachers association. Disagreement with Samuels’ restructuring goals was a significant factor in most of the retirement decisions, she said.

Fonfa, a psychology teacher, said she thought that Samuels and the teachers opposed to elements of the restructuring program were both too rigid. Although she supports many of Samuels’ restructuring philosophies, she said she believes he fell short as a leader in the situation.

“You have to establish your credibility before we will follow,” she said. “I don’t think Nardy did that when he came in. I don’t think he courted and won over the teachers.”

Both Fonfa and Thais emphasized that they believe Samuels was fighting in the interests of students and what he thought would be best for their education.

The ethnic diversity of the high school has increased dramatically during Samuels’ tenure. The percentage of Anglo students fell from 63% in 1988 to less than 50% in 1992, according to the district spokeswoman, Catherine Habel. A further breakdown of 1992 figures shows that the student population is 32% Latino, 10% African-American and 10% Asian-American.

Tensions among ethnic groups heightened in the spring of 1991 when an unknown person or persons mailed racist hate letters to parents of students with Latino surnames.

In response, Samuels has brought speakers onto campus to promote multicultural awareness and tolerance. He also has organized workshops for teachers designed to help them understand the special needs of various ethnic groups.

School board President Pam Brady praised Samuels’ efforts to keep students from dropping out of school by bringing onto campus programs that target at-risk students.

Brady said Samuels fulfilled his duties and “made incredible inroads” into the restructuring effort, but may have caused some conflict as a result.

“Maybe that’s what we’ll look for with the next (principal)--the support the teaching staff needs to bring about these changes,” she said.

Brady said the search for a new principal will be comprehensive, and the interview panel for candidates will include representatives from the community.