School Walkout Held to Back Vice Principal

More than 70 parents and students staged a protest Wednesday at Morningside Elementary School for the school’s failure to promote a popular vice principal to principal.

For three hours, the throng chanted and waved signs calling for administrators to promote longtime Vice Principal Debra Rambeau to the school’s top slot.

“She’s implemented a lot of programs at the school,” said parent Debra Thompson, who serves on a campus selection committee. Former Principal Victoria Montez left the school in June for a position with the school district.

A committee of teachers, parents, administrators and classified personnel must agree on a new principal, according to the rules governing Morningside.

Thompson and some other parents said they have supported Rambeau’s selection since June, gathering 500 signatures on her behalf. “The parents have felt that the obvious choice was Mrs. Rambeau because she knows the school, she knows the students and the students love her,” said Angel Zobel-Rodriguez, another parent on the selection committee.

But some teachers and other campus employees disagree.

“I think the parents were wishing that there would be unanimous support and they didn’t get that,” said district administrator Maria Reza. “There doesn’t seem to be a consensus [on promoting Rambeau] even two months later so I think we need to move on with the process.”

Administrators say Rambeau--who has been on sick leave since July--never has applied for the job. Rambeau, reached by telephone, said she was not given the chance to apply properly but is still interested in the job.

“I believe that I would be the best principal,” Rambeau said. “But I also believe in communication and what’s going on right now is a very big gap in communication because of problems within the selection committee.”

Two others have applied for the position. Usually, three candidates are sent to Los Angeles city schools Supt. Sid Thompson for final selection, said Reza.

The school selection committee will extend the application process if Rambeau or anyone else is interested in applying, Reza said.