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Brentwood Press - OakleyPress_05.02.08 - Index

8A | THEPRESS.NET EDUCATION MAY 2, 2008
Former principal Long comes full circle
by Ruth Roberts
Staff Writer
Dolores Long’s journey of a thousand
miles began with a single brave step,
and now after nearly three years, her odyssey
is fi nally over.
The former Discovery Bay Elementary
School principal who was abruptly relieved
of her administration status in 2005
(by former Byron Union School District
Superintendent Tom Meyer) and subsequently
reassigned to a classroom teaching
position at Excelsior Middle School
has settled her lawsuit against the school
district and the case has been brought to
a fi nal resolution.
As part of the settlement arrangement,
both parties have agreed not to disclose
the reasons for Long’s reassignment
or terms of the agreement. Long has,
however, since been named to a newly created
post as BUSD “Director of Independent
Study/District Grant Writer.” The
appointment becomes effective July 1.
For Long, who has consistently
maintained she was wrongly reassigned,
the past few years have seen an agonizing
string of fi nancial and personal hardships,
including the unexpected death of her
husband. For the single mother of three,
peace has been a long time in coming.
“I still can’t believe this (the lawsuit)
is over. It took me a couple of days to re-
alize I don’t have to worry about this any
more,” she said. “I never had an issue with
the community and this was never about
money. What it came down to was that I
believed that no one should be above the
law. I was wronged, and now I have prevailed.”
Eric Prater, who came on as the new
district superintendent in January follow-
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Photo by Ruth Roberts
The Contra Costa County Superior Court has ruled that former Discovery
Bay Principal Dolores Long was wrongfully reassigned to a teaching position
at Excelsior Middle School in 2005.
ing Meyer’s retirement, says the newly
created position offers something for everyone.
“This is an opportunity that just
came together as a kind of natural progression,
and a lot of conversations with
Dolores,” said Prater of Long’s new role.
“It’s a chance for us to get some new programs
in place and it’s also an opportu-
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nity for Dolores to use her skills to their
fullest ability. The best thing we can do
as a district is to work together for the
betterment of everyone, and that’s what
we’re doing.”
For her part, Long agrees that the
once-burned, twice-shy adage aptly applies
to her past professional situation, but
adds that her new relationship with Prater
is built on trust and mutual respect.
“I have faith in him (Prater) and
I know he has faith in me as well,” said
Long. “He and I are visionaries working
together. I will always be very cautious in
my professional career from now on, but
this is going to be a new start, and we’re
working as a team.”
“We all came up with an acceptable
agreement, and the integrity of Dolores’
professional reputation has been preserved,”
said Prater. “It’s a win-win for
everyone.”
What Long has gained from all the
upheaval, she says, is a poignant sense of
priorities. “I fought this for myself, and
my kids and my family for a long time,
and I’ve really learned a lot,” she said.
“But I’ve also learned that the little things
don’t matter to me anymore. Everything
that has happened to me has put things in
perspective, and it feels good. I’m ready,
fi nally, to move on.”
To comment on this story, visit www.
thepress.net.
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