FUSD is undergoing yet another superintendent transition as the threat of a teacher’s strike looms
Multimedia Editor
During their February 12th meeting, the FUSD Board of Education accepted the resignation of former Superintendent Erik Burmeister, announcing it in a press release later on the same day. Two weeks later, during the February 26th Board meeting, Assistant Superintendent Zack Larsen was officially announced as his replacement.
Beginning his one-year contract at FUSD on July 1st, 2024, after five years serving as the Superintendent of Menlo Park City School District, Burmeister’s resignation was announced only eight months into his term. The former superintendent said that the resignation was due to the district’s prior intention of replacing him after his term came to a close.
“Fremont has been in a transition period for the last 10 months,” Burmeister said in an interview with the Eagle Era. “The previous superintendent’s departure late in the hiring season made it necessary for the FUSD Board to hire an experienced superintendent to help get the year started, pass the Measure M Bond, and lead a transparent budget reduction process. I was able to come in at that time and provide the consistency and experience necessary.”
It remains unclear, however, why Burmeister didn’t complete the remainder of his contract with no replacement selected by the Board to immediately take over. Even though the Board was reportedly prepared for the resignation, it still initiated a 2-hour closed session during the February 14th special meeting to discuss the filling of the vacant position, which resulted in no further developments in the selection of a superintendent. Only two weeks later did news of Larsen’s appointment finally break.
“I have serious concerns about our instability as we move forward for the next few months,” said FUDTA (Fremont Unified District Teachers Association) President Victoria Chon, voicing the teacher union’s concerns at the February 12th meeting shortly after Burmeister’s resignation was made public.
Rinu Nair, a member of the Board, declined to provide comment regarding the resignation for this article, citing the matter as “confidential.”
The announcement of resignation came just two days after FUSD and FUDTA failed to come to a settlement regarding negotiations for better health benefits, smaller class sizes, and more, transitioning the bargaining process into the “fact-finding” stage headed by a neutral state-appointed arbitrator. If no agreement is made after this, the union will be legally permitted to “engage in concerted activities,” such as a teacher’s strike, according to FUSD’s February 10th press release. Despite the close timings, Burmeister denied the failed agreement having any bearing on his resignation.
“The current negotiations with the teacher’s union did not impact my decision,” Burmeister said. “I have the utmost respect for the FUSD Board and FUDTA and am hopeful they’ll be able to resolve the negotiations.”
The Board announces the appointment of Zack Larsen to the position of Superintendent at the February 26th Board Meeting (Photo Credit: Muhammed A. Ali (12)).
On a broader scale, the loss of two superintendents in the past year has raised concerns from FUDTA regarding the Board’s capability to properly engage in negotiations with the union and to run the district overall.
“I want to highlight that since we began this bargaining process, we lost our past Superintendent [CJ Cammack], we’ve lost our CBO [Chief Business Officer], and now we have lost another Superintendent,” Chon said in her speech. “Not to mention the countless educators that have also left our district in that time. The direction we’re moving is not going to be sustainable.”
The Board bears the final decision-making power in district-union negotiations, and has reportedly taken action opposing the demands of the union, hindering progress reaching a settlement with the union.
“I’m not confident in some of the decisions I’ve seen [the Board] make, [such as] increasing class ratios, as well as eliminating the only social worker in the district,” Chon said. “Negotiations have been going on a long time, and that is [due to] the decisions that they’re making.”
The Board also declined an opportunity to respond to Chon’s statements, saying it cannot comment on ongoing negotiations.
With the appointment of Zack Larsen to the role of superintendent, however, there is a sense of hope in FUDTA that he—a former elementary school teacher, high school principal, and member of the FUSD bargaining team—will be able to help close the negotiations that have been ongoing for upwards of a year.
“We hope that [Larsen] will be the champion for [FUDTA] when he’s talking to the [Board] members through these next few months,” Chon said. “We [want to] have someone who cares about the relationships with our union, and makes sure he’s prioritizing what’s best for the kids and the educators [in order] to make Fremont a truly great school district.”
Former Assistant Superintendent Zack Larsen (pictured above) is set to fill the Superintendent spot for the forseeable future, signing a three-year contract with the district announced at the February 26th Board meeting (Photo Credit: Kunal Shah (12), Rishaan Joshi (12)).
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