Education Leader Helen Bernstein

The death of Helen Bernstein is a tremendous loss to our Los Angeles school community (April 4-5). Her leadership was a true inspiration to teachers who were working to reform our schools. While recognizing that the first duty of a teachers’ union was to protect our contractual rights, she was also committed to the idea of making our profession stronger through teacher excellence and commitment to increased student achievement. Those ideas caused many union members to discount her as a union leader because they strayed from the traditional union jargon. However, her vision gave many others of my profession a beacon to see with through the political storms that often interfere with a school’s primary responsibility.

I was at a LEARN training meeting with my infant daughter a few months ago, and Helen looked into the stroller and said that I had hit the jackpot. Well, Helen, we are burying a treasure.

CATHY SCOTT SKUBIK

San Pedro

* In a city lacking for leadership, the tragic passing of Helen Bernstein leaves a great void in the fabric of our community. She was a tireless, passionate leader, a fierce advocate for teachers and a committed friend of children.

In addition to the many roles she played--teacher, union leader, LEARN advocate and advisor to the mayor--Bernstein was also a member of the board of directors of the Los Angeles Education Partnership (LAEP).

When Helen first joined the LAEP board it was not without some trepidation on the part of other board members. She was a firebrand in our midst. But her knowledge of the classroom, her insight into the needs of teachers and schools, and her intellect, wit and passion gained her the respect and admiration of the board and helped make the LAEP a more effective organization.

Helen was the connective tissue of education reform in Los Angeles. Over the years she contributed greatly to the content of our conversation and helped to shape much of our work, especially our teacher network programs and the Los Angeles Learning Centers. Always, she insisted that the voice of teachers be heard, and that our efforts help teachers develop the knowledge, skill and resources to succeed in the classroom.

Bernstein must not be forgotten. Instead, we would do well to honor her legacy by working together to improve public education for the children of Los Angeles.

PEGGY FUNKHOUSER

President, LAEP

* I don’t wish to be seen as being unsympathetic or cruel in light of Bernstein’s recent death and Jerry Rubin’s death in 1994, but when are people going to learn not to cross in the middle of busy streets like Olympic and Wilshire? Even at crosswalks, I notice that pedestrians regularly ignore red lights and “don’t walk” signals.

Any of us who walk anywhere in Los Angeles know how dangerous some drivers can be, but as a person who usually walks to work at least three times a week, I know not to take unnecessary risks. I hope this most recent tragic death will be a wake-up call for all of us.

DAVID McFADDEN

Los Angeles

* Bernstein was a vital and committed member of the Library Commission. The morning of her death she represented the commission at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Los Feliz Branch Library. A resident of the Los Feliz neighborhood for many years, she spoke glowingly of the library and her memories of taking her daughter Jessica to the library when she was a young girl. Helen’s leadership, energy and commitment will be greatly missed by the Library Commission and staff.

LUCY McCOY, President

Board of Library Commissioners