Equilla F. Bradford - school district superintendent - Brief Article

School Administrator, March, 1996

A Career-Long Commitment in One Community

Anyone who has spent an entire professional career in the same school district ought to be entitled to take a congratulatory bow now and again, but that's not Equilla Bradford's style.

As she puts it in her soft-spoken manner, "We never talk 'I' here, it's 'we.'"

Bradford's hankering for collaboration--from a project's starting point to its final credits--has stood her well during a 40-year career in the Westwood Community School District in Inkster, Mich. Since 1979, she has been superintendent of the 2,400-student district, located on the outskirts of Detroit.

In a school community largely bereft of property wealth, Bradford well understands the importance of outside connections for her schools to meet the educational and social needs of students, about half of whom qualify for free and reduced-price meals. Hence she used the past year as president of the local Rotary Club to spin off several new school-business partnerships.

"It's gratifying to build on relationships to get things accomplished," she says.

Having worked for so long in the Westwood district, she adds, gives her some distinct advantages. She's had personal dealings with three generations of some families and knows well which community leaders can make things happen.

Those factors contributed to a milestone last June--passage of a 3-mill levy that enabled Westwood to become one of the few school districts in Michigan to offer full-day, five-day-a-week kindergarten.

Though she had been promoting the virtues of a full-day program for two decades, Bradford found some reluctance among her board members before getting their final OK. "We ensured we had the recent research to back us up. We heard the concerns ... and listened to their apprehensions and then addressed them in a factual, sincere manner," she says. Then Bradford helped parents "run interference" to convince the rest of the community of the need for the additional tax support.

But while she's quick to move the spotlight off herself, Bradford has blazed plenty of significant trails. She was the first black hired to teach in Westwood in 1954 and later the first black female named to a superintendency in Michigan, paving the way for a few since. The 16 years in her present capacity is 2 1/2 times the state's average tenure of a superintendent in a single district.

"What that says is that because boards change over time, she relates very well to a variety of people and has demonstrated competency to lots of different people," says Gerard Keidel, executive director of the Michigan Association of School Administrators.

Jeannette Konchel, a three-term Westwood school board member, says the superintendent works hard at relating well to the board. Those efforts begin when newcomers are elected. Bradford will conduct individual orientations and group sessions.

"She's very good at helping new members to understand how the system goes," Konchel says. "There's lots of things new board members want to do but they find you can't do anything you want."

Adds Tim Powers, an editor with the Dearborn Heights Press and Guide: "One-on-one meetings with her are a marvel. She's very good at expressing herself with people at all levels."

Bradford perhaps is best known for the way she greets staff members, parents, and students during frequent forays into Westwood's four school buildings: she hugs them. (She has a publicity photo of her hugging a real bunny.)

Behind the scenes, Bradford acts on her deep concern for students who come from neglected households. Often, she will visit her schools on cold winter days to pass out wool hats and mittens to those lacking them. At times, she also solicits bedding and mattresses and other basic supplies for needy students and their families.

Asked what service she would provide if she had the authority and money, Bradford thinks first of strengthening the connection between home and school--the best contributor to effective learning. "It takes everyone working together," she says.