George Laase
Share and Share Alike
Here in Culver City, we have a unique situation. We are one of only five communities in California where the city limits and school district boundaries are congruent. This means that both authorities share the same electorate. More importantly, it means they share...
Monitoring Football Field Progress
From the accompanying photos, you may determine that two months before Culver City High School’s football home opener, upgrading of facilities, including the football field, continues apace.
The UPCC: Your Actions Louder Than Your Words
I gladly joined United Parents of Culver City last year when it was first announced because I, too, had felt that our students needed to have a District-wide advocacy group, not just their own parents working on their behalf. Many seemed surprised to see...
Home Mortgages Vs. Bond Measures
These last two weeks I have heard some persons nonchalantly compare a bond measure to getting a home mortgage. The only similarity between the two is in the extended length of paying off the debt.
Hybrid Bond Financing
Before a School Board majority balked at the proposed bond measure last week, the example from the School District’s bond consultant, KeyGent, presenting a three bond scenario of $25M each, issued two years apart for a total of $75M in bonds, suggests the District use a...
Ruminating on the Late Bond Campaign
Monday night’s quashing, or squashing, of the School District’s proposed bond measure campaign yesterday was compared to a fat lady sitting on a cake. But she has yet to sing, and it ain't over until the fat lady sings! This was just...
Board Salary Increase
The argument for School Board members to give themselves a 2 percent salary increase because it is almost nothing – $4.80 a month for each member, $288 a year for all Board members combined – is the point I want to make. If it is almost nothing, why ask for it?
Talk Is Cheap
At the end of last night’s select community meeting to help prioritize the School District facility needs, Supt. Dave LaRose tried to address the earlier questions and concerns about our District’s long history of poorly maintained school facilities.
Difference Between Informed and Uninformed Voters
The School District has had a poor record of maintaining its facilities for the past two decades. The Robert Frost Auditorium, the football and practice fields and the Natatorium are obvious examples of slow decay. Will the District borrow $75M to fix up our school facilities, only to let them slowly fall into disrepair?
Tackling the District’s Maintenance Issue
Anybody who takes a walk around our School District facilities can see that many of our schools need renewal. The larger issue is that our District has a long history of...
