It probably is fitting that the President of the School Board throws out the first pitch of the School Board Election Season.
For two hours at mid-day tomorrow, starting at 11 a.m., a coterie of Scott Zeidman supporters — whom he has variously recruited and attracted since his first campaign four years ago — will assemble in the Jasmine Street home of Mr. Culver City, Mike Cohen, to launch Mr. Zeidman’s drive skyward.
The second of three announced campaign launchers will be Laura Chardiet’s inaugural event on Sunday afternoon from 4 to 6 at the Culver West home of City Councilman Scott Malsin and his wife Anne.
As for the School Board President, Mr. Zeidman slightly lifted the curtain this afternoon and disclosed his message, a tribute to his family.
“This job requires, I don’t know how many hours a week,” Mr. Zeidman said. “But that is not a complaint. You cannot do this job without an incredibly supportive family.
“My wife Aileen not only has supported me throughout all of this, but she went and joined the Friends of the Library and became an officer. She also joined the Education Foundation. She is a trustee there, and in charge of fundraising for the Tribute to the Stars.
Don’t Forget the Boys
“So it is family. It’s not all Scott.
“My kids, my great kids, Jason (12) and Brandon (7) — they have put up with me being gone, hours upon hours, and going to events they have no interest in attending. It’s a great learning experience for them, and it’s also a great sacrifice.
“It is very important my family understands they are a huge part of this.
“It must be brutal for Jason at (Middle School), with your Dad being on the School Board, and this year the President of the Board.”
Even a casual observer of his first term knows that Mr. Zeidman is not exaggerating when he says “I chaperone every event I possibly can. I have done a Washington, D.C., trip, a New York-Boston trip, and I did a Knott’s Berry Farm trip twice.
“Jason is a mini-me in many ways. He has the devilish side. He also is smarter than he should be, and so he doesn’t really do all the work without paying attention. He probably acts up a little more than he should.”
Then Mr. Zeidman turned to candidate talk.
“The District itself has done incredibly well in the last four years,” he said. “Our funding has dropped close to 20 percent. Yet our test scores are increasing and our parental satisfaction appears to be growing.
“There is no way of determining that. But based upon the number of emails and complaints we were getting four years ago compared to what we are getting today, anecdotally, it appears people are feeling good about the District.”
