With the latest droll missteps by the School District in giving its triple-step marching orders to Culver Park High School, the community has lost its confidence in the District’s administration and in the information it releases.
Great Bungling Bungalows
It is now clear, concerning the moving of the continuation school that the past CCUSD administration was not very candid or forthcoming with all the information it had, even within its own house. It continued the tradition of trying to sell the public a bill of goods, hurrying along its move of Culver Park from its longtime site on Berryman Avenue to its more obvious, in comparison, “dump site” in the back of Farragut Elementary’s parking lot.
Take It Slow
On its website, the state suggests that the process in deciding to close or open a school site should take about 18 months. The CCUSD tried to short-cut the process and do it in less than six months – with bungling results. Why? What was the rush?
How Independent is ALLEM?
The administration’s seeming ineptness in its heartless closure and hastily planned move of Culver Park lays bare some questions: Looking back, it seems the District administration was not well-prepared for such a quick move. Were the move and hurried timeline forced upon the District by ALLEM, the Advocates for Language Learning at El Marino?
Choosing One Over Another
Was the District onboard with ALLEM increasing its lottery spaces for incoming kindergartners which thereby added more pressure in each following year for the District to push Culver Park students out of their home in exchange for the enhancement of El Marino’s language programs? Is it just me or does it seems as if El Marino has more autonomy than the other elementary schools in the District?
Is EL Marino Language School actually run as a charter school without being given the name?
The New Kid on the Block
Not being a District insider, the new Superintendent, David LaRose has the chance to come in and start a new era: To clear out the old cobwebs of past District practices and instill a new belief that building trust in an open, honest relationship with School Board members, local community and media outlets is the only way to proceed.
Supt. LaRose has his work cut out. Not only does he need to gain the respect of the community for himself, he needs to re-establish it for the District. He can do this by instilling a new sense of openness. That way he can build a newfound sense of the public’s trust and belief in what the District says.
Let’s hope Supt. LaRose can make his own personal impression on our District’s ethics before the District can make its own impression on him.
Mr. Laase may be contacted at GMLaase@aol.com
