This petition calls for the immediate resignation of Valeria Silva, the Superintendent of St. Pau...

PETITION BACKGROUND

The St. Paul Public School District is in crisis. Daily headlines reporting student-on-student and student-on-teacher violence resulting from Valeria Silva’s failed disciplinary policies are just the proverbial tip of the iceberg. We can no longer tolerate unsafe learning conditions in our schools. Our children have a right to safe and productive classrooms. Additionally, we can no longer tolerate the draconian methods of threat and intimidation of our dedicated teachers by the Silva administration. Teachers are afraid to speak out for fear of public reprisal, suspension and loss of their employment. Valeria Silva has lost the trust, faith and respect of too many education professionals in the district to be an effective leader. Furthermore, Silva’s continued incompetence is putting our teachers and children at great risk; as a result, families have begun to send their children out of the district in response to the downward spiral in the quality of St. Paul’s educational infrastructure. The children, parents, teachers, and community members of St. Paul deserve a Superintendent who leads with integrity and honor in Minnesota’s capital city. Silva is clearly not that leader. Her tenure as Superintendent has been nothing less than an embarrassment to the city of St. Paul, and a great travesty for our children, who deserve a high-quality education free from the threat of violence and harm. Our teachers and administrative staff deserve respect and the freedom to meet students’ needs with innovative, compassionate and supported instruction and assistance.

We, the undersigned, demand Silva resign immediately. If she will not, we demand the School Board remove her and replace her with a competent leader with the skills, temperament, and personal integrity to provide effective leadership for the St. Paul Public School District.