[Editor’s Note: School Board member Scott Zeidman has made the controversial subject of an allegedly excessive number of student permits a centerpiece since his election last November. Speaking before the City Council last night, he invited all members to a Board-sponsored community meeting on Thursday, June 26, at 6 o’clock, at the Robert Frost Auditorium, to sort through potential solutions from residents. Here is what he had to say.]
I know that all five of you are very interested in our fine schools.
• Mayor Malsin with a child set to attend in the very near future.
• Vice Mayor Silbiger, who has been involved with our schools for as long as anyone can remember.
• Councilmen Weissman and Armenta, who are both graduates of our excellent Culver City schools, and
• Councilman O’Leary, who I expect will have children attending our schools in the near future.
First, just a bit of background on the Middle School and high school overall populations:
While Councilman Weissman was in Culver City High School, the high school was a three-year school. The total number of students on campus at that time was just under 1,600. Mr. Weissman’s graduating class of 1968 had 537 students.
While Councilman Armenta was in school, high school was three years and the total number of students on campus was approximately 1,250. Indeed, in Mr. Armenta’s graduating class of 1981, there were a total of 408 graduating seniors.
For the eight years while Barbara Honig (wife of the Vice Mayor) was on the School Board, the average number of students in the four-year high school was around 1,300. The average graduating class was approximately 325.
Enrollment for our high school is approximately 2,150, for an average class population of 538.
The Middle School, which had about 1,500 during Councilman Weissman’s time, under 1,300 during Mr. Armenta’s schooling and an average of between 1,000 and 1,100 during Ms. Honig’s tenure, has about 1,650 students today.
Culver City schools, elementary through high school, have about 1,300 inter-district permit students.
The 6 o’clock meeting on Thursday, June 26 at the Robert Frost is an opportunity for members of the public to speak with the School Board and give the Board advice:
• Whether to set a cap on the size of our Middle School and high school populations.
• Whether to increase, decrease or allow the same number of inter-district permits to be issued in the future.
• Whether to give inter-district permits to children of persons who work in Culver City priority over children who have no nexus to Culver City.
• And, whether to change the existing academic requirements for inter-district permits. They currently stand at a minimum of 2.0 GPA and no more than two grades of “F.”
I look forward to seeing all of you on June 26.
