Challenge Elates School’s New Principal

Irene Smerigan inherited an overcrowded school in Pacoima where the majority of students cannot read or speak English fluently. About half of the 85 teachers, many of whom are on emergency credentials, have worked in the profession for less than five years.

Some parents cannot afford pencils, erasers and paper for their children.

But Smerigan, 54, could not be happier about her new job as principal of Pacoima Elementary, one of the oldest, poorest and worst-performing schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District. She succeeds Principal Larry Gonzales, who retired earlier this month after 10 years at the school.

“I must say that I’m elated,” said Smerigan, a school district veteran, whose new job officially begins today. “I’m just elated.”

Smerigan is the first principal appointment by Ramon C. Cortines, the reform-minded, interim superintendent who last week took control of the beleaguered 711,000-student district.

Cortines said he has a lot of faith in Smerigan’s drive and dedication to make the school a success.

“I’m proud of my first appointment,” he said.

He called Smerigan an integral part of his plan to swiftly improve the system by shifting power away from the downtown headquarters--where Smerigan has worked for the last two years as an administrative coordinator--to the local level. His idea is to give principals, teachers and parents more control over their schools.

As a former principal at several schools in the northeast San Fernando Valley, Smerigan built a reputation for establishing ties with parents and community members, Cortines said.

In her new post, Smerigan plans to work closely with the Vaughn Next Century Learning Center, a highly acclaimed charter school a few blocks away. For example, she said, the schools might share technology resources and facilities and combine teacher training efforts.

Despite the praise heaped on Smerigan by administrators, school board member David Tokofsky cautioned that the school needs more than a hard-working visionary at the helm to turn around.

“It’s a mistake to think that the school will change just because it has a new principal,” said Tokofsky, who represents the Pacoima Elementary area. “The school needs everything. It needs resources and support from the district. It needs support from the community and politicians.”

Cortines said he would give Smerigan support, and she pledged to accept it.

“I’m going to make this school a success,” she said last week. “The first thing I did was make it clear to the teachers that if they’re not here for the benefit of the children, then they don’t need to be here.”

Although Smerigan acknowledged she can be tough, she comes across as gentle and courteous, speaking in pleasant yet matter-of-fact tones. She addresses teachers, clerical staff, parents and students by name, and if she does not know their names, she makes a point to shake hands and ask. She listens with her brown eyes focused on the speaker and doles out compliments generously, always sure to say “please” and “thank you.”

“I can’t wait to roll up my sleeves and get to work,” she said. “One of the first things I’m going to do is make sure every student has pencils, erasers and paper.”

Since learning of her new job Jan. 13, Smerigan has spent each morning surveying the 1,576-student campus, scribbling concerns on her yellow note pad. No detail is too minor.

Last Friday, she wanted to know if the school has a decent irrigation system for the newly planted trees. And how many classroom doors need doorstops? And how could she get each student a Pacoima Elementary T-shirt?

Wandering past the temporary lunch area, Smerigan sniffed the stench of garbage, frowned and shook her head.

“We have to do something about this,” she said, pointing to a narrow group of lunch tables crammed between buildings, nine trash cans and a wire fence. “The children deserve a humane place to eat their meals.”

Such details may appear minor compared with the school’s problems of illiteracy, crowded classrooms and the need to train and retain teachers.

But Smerigan shares Cortines’ view that to properly teach and learn, students and teachers must have the basics, including a clean campus that instills pride.

“She’s a Texas tornado,” said Deborah Kemp-Hall, an assistant principal who ran the school after the principal left. “She’s just what this school needs.”

A first-generation Mexican American born and raised in El Paso, Smerigan said she is especially committed to Pacoima Elementary because she relates to the largely Latino students.

She was the first one in her family to go to college, and English was her second language.

“It’s an emotional issue for me,” she said. “Back when I was in school, they hit our knuckles with a ruler if we spoke Spanish. It was quite harsh. I understand that to deny a language is to deny a culture.”

Smerigan paused.

“I also understand that I am a role model to the students,” she said. “If they see me succeed, they may believe they can too.”