Some Culver City residents may have difficulty deciding which School Board candidates to vote for because this time around, each candidate has many strengths. Some residents believe in “bullet voting” to give their favorite candidate the best chance of succeeding.
But three excellent candidates stand out from the rest. They are uniquely knowledgeable, experienced and – extremely important – team players. I am going to vote for all three. I encourage readers to do the same.
All School Board members—new and continuing – will have particularly difficult work to do, especially difficult decisions to make. A promising but different new curriculum called Common Core has been federally mandated.
• School Board members will need to determine the best ways to institute this curriculum in our schools.
• School Board members will need to assess and prioritize the pressing infrastructure needs of our schools.
• School Board members will need to determine which funding vehicles are most appropriate for addressing these needs, then work to educate our residents.
Our schools, as wonderful as they are, are crying out for help.
My Reasoning
Claudia Vizcarra has many years of experience working on education policy, both at UCLA’s Institute for Democracy, Education and Access (IDEA), and as a policy analyst to LAUSD School Board member Steve Zimmer. This is not to say that she would try to institute the same policies in Culver City that she and Mr. Zimmer have instituted in Los Angeles. Culver City’s schools are different. But this does tell us that Ms. Vizcarra is experienced in the field of educational policy, that she works all day every day on education policy.
Ms. Vizcarra’s unique knowledge and experience are incredibly valuable. You can read more about Claudia at http://www.Vizcarraforschoolboard.org.
Vernon Taylor has more than 25 years’ experience as an executive in banking and finance. With his knowledge, experience and drive, Mr. Taylor is wonderfully well-suited to make the critically important funding decisions for our schools. He also has worked behind the scenes, contributing his financial expertise on several important Culver City commissions. Mr. Taylor has given of himself time and again to our youth, through his volunteer work at the schools, with the Boy Scouts, and with the Culver-Palms YMCA. You can read more about Mr. Taylor at http://www.VernonLTaylor4CCUSD2013.com.
Karlo Silbiger must be re-elected. His experience on the School Board, his mastery of educational issues, his passion and commitment to students and teachers, the energy and the time he puts into his work on the School Board, and into his own teaching, are unparalleled.
Mr. Silbiger has served thoughtfully and decisively on our School Board for four years. He has taught high school government and music classes for more than a decade. He has education degrees from some of the finest institutions, including Harvard. And he is completing his doctorate in educational policy at UCLA. Before every School Board meeting, Mr. Silbiger gathers his “kitchen cabinet,” a group of Culver City parents and residents, to consider their points of view regarding school issues. Mr. Silbiger’s motto, “He listens and leads,” powerfully reflects his actions. You can read more about him at http://karlo4schoolboard.com/.
Ms. Vizcarra and Mr. Taylor are important to our schools for another reason: She is Latina, he is African American. Our School Board needs their perspectives. Our Latino and African American youth, parents and School District employees deserve to be represented. We residents of all racial and ethnic backgrounds are indeed fortunate that we have two excellent, experienced candidates who also bring the promise of diversity on the School Board.
Ms. Rona-Tuttle, a 29-year Culver City resident, may be contacted at rebecca.rona@hotmail.com
