Before giving his final response to letters last week from union leader Debbie Hamme and fellow School Board candidate Robert Zirgulis criticizing recent Board actions, incumbent Scott Zeidman talked this morning about a subject previously only whispered about:
Is there a chance his well-organized re-election team could be growing fat or careless with overconfidence?
“No,” the Board President said swiftly and sharply.
“We have had a tremendous four years. Our budget has been cut every year, and yet our schools are doing better than they were when we started.
“I have a lotto be proud of. Without me, I know we would not have had EE, the parcel tax, $6 million. Nothing happened, though, until I got on the Board and pushed it.
“We never would have gotten a cap on the Middle School and high school size, and some financial independence from L.A. Unified, if I hadn’t pushed it, hadn’t done it. We never would have gotten an Anti-Bullying Task Force if Steve (Gourley) and I hadn’t been pushing it.
No Guarantee
“However, just because we have got so much done doesn’t mean I am going to win again. So it is important to knock on every door myself.
“I don’t want to be overconfident because not everybody knows what we have done.
“I am out there (in the neighborhoods) every single day, every single night, knocking, calling, doing everything I can to let people know how important this election is.
“This is about the future of our schools. We have a lot of accomplishments the last four years. I would hate to go in the other direction. I am working my tail off, as hard as anybody, probably a lot harder, to get the word out, to let people know what we have done.
“The response has been great. But I always am concerned when people tell me I am a shoo-in. They say ‘don’t worry about it,’ but I am worried about it because of our kids.”
Asbestos — Yes or No?
Re “Zeidman vs. Hamme: Words Fly”
[Editor’s Note: This is the third and concluding part of School Board President Scott Zeidman’s response to two recent letters critical of him. They were written by Debbie Hamme, President of the Assn. of Classified Employees, and Robert Zirgulis, a candidate for the Board in the Nov. 8 election.]
Mr. Zeidman explained in previous installments that the four capital improvement projects that have been a source of dispute are in flux because such large, unwieldy commitments go through the filter of numerous agencies.
Ms. Hamme challenged the Board President regarding asbestos removal.
Said Mr. Zeidman: “We have a consultant who has not been in yet. We have earmarked the money. But we don’t know more than that.
“We need to go in there and find out, Is there asbestos? I don’t know. If there is, what will it cost? I don’t know. How can we be putting money aside without knowing if any asbestos is there or what it is going to cost if there is?
“It’s not as if we are spending every penny we ever have had. Money is available.
“If it turns out asbestos is there, we will have to deal with it.
“Her opinion on this is uninformed.”
Only by following a complex formula may government-related school funds be spent.
“From our restricted fund, something more than 90 percent goes to salaries,” Mr. Zeidman said. “So there isn’t that much to be available.”
At her conclusion, Ms. Hamme wondered why “nothing has been done” until this year when Mr. Zeidman is seeking re-election.
“Let’s see,” he responded. “My first week on the Board, I visited the California School Board Assn. to see about getting turf for our field. I have had at least a half-dozen meetings the last four years on that. We discussed it on the prior Board. The prior Board wasn’t ready to commit, the new Board was.
“Solar? I voted for Chevron three years ago. I wanted to go solar. I brought Chevron in. I would love to go solar — if it makes financial sense. We have been doing this for years.
“Robert Frost has been an eyesore for quite awhile. We have been talking about getting it done. It takes five members on a Board — three of whom have to agree to do anything.
“Just because this is election year, we are hearing this is disingenuous.”
Mr. Zirgulis complained that three of the five Board members are attorneys, that there are too few educators. He happens to be an educator.
“We have five different individuals with five different ideals,” Mr. Zeidman said. “Whether one is an educator or a slot machine salesperson isn’t going to change it.
“You need a balance of business people and others. Having a Board full of educators may be great in one aspect but not another.”
