I have been following the letters section of thefrontpageonline.com that refer to the upcoming election for the School Board.
Some of letter writers have not thought it helpful to note their personal involvement in particular campaigns. For example, my good friend the most excellent Culver City ex-treasurer, Crystal Alexander, opined on Sept. 18 about the budgetary prowess of candidate Kathy Paspalis, without (I believe) noting that she serves as Ms. Paspalis's campaign treasurer.
Readers will benefit from knowing such connections. Even if one doesn't remember that Alan Elmont was a failed candidate in 2009, for example, it is good to know to get some perspective on his current positions.
To put my own cards on the table, I strongly support candidates Karlo Silbiger and Claudia Vizcarra.
I am a former teacher (in New York City) with a Masters in Education. For the last eleven and three quarters of a year, I have been a Staff Attorney with the California Teachers Assn., with whom our classified employees are affiliated.
I believe that the rhetoric concerning the bond measure that the majority of the current School Board decided to study further before putting it to the voters, is a concocted issue. It is intended to whip up voters and cover over the lack of public education policy credentials of certain candidates hoping to ride a wave of anger into office. Caring about education is a key qualification. But we need more than just caring from those who have to make difficult policy decisions.
Concerning Ms. Alexander's plea to ignore the endorsements given to candidates Silbiger and Vizcarra by the two unions representing Culver City school employees, I must note that in 2009, Ms. Paspalis's campaign website featured prominently the fact that she was endorsed by the Teachers Union. I believe she unsuccessfully sought the endorsement this time as well.
Are the Grapes Sour?
My concern is not that this is just sour grapes on the part of Ms. Paspalis, but evidence of her disdain for educators and unions. Teachers and classified employees work in the buildings our kids study in. When conditions are unsafe and unhealthy, school employees care greatly about improving that situation. We count on them to provide emergency assistance to disabled students, to keep students engaged, and be counselors, nurses and librarians where there are too few actual counselors, nurses and librarians to serve students.
School employees have dedicated their professional lives to educating our kids. We have serious problems in our District, and in society as a whole, that cause many kids to fall behind. Only rarely can this be attributed to particular teachers. Yet I have seen Ms. Paspalis jump on the bandwagon of education “reformers” who blame teachers for the poor performance of an underfunded and overworked public education system. Instead, they should be looking at the problems of poverty and inequality tha growing all around us while education and public health programs have been slashed and parents have lost jobs.
A Former Student
I have known Karlo since he was one of my Sunday School students at age 13 or so. I have witnessed close up his personal education and devotion to public education for others. I do not agree with Karlo on every issue. But I have complete confidence that he only does what he knows as an educational expert to be in the best interests of students.
It is outrageous to claim otherwise simply to score campaign points. I have never known another human being to work as hard as Karlo to understand the issues and decisions he has to make as a School Board member, to serve the students he teaches, and at the same, continue his studies in Education Administration so he can better understand how policy is effectively implemented.
I have known Claudia Vizcarra and her family for many years. Not to date myself, but I think my son may have been a Sunday School teacher for her kids. I was thrilled to see her become a candidate in this election. She is exactly the sort of intelligent educational policy expert the School Board needs at a time when all the rules on educational standards and school financing are shifting.
She is a parent, bilingual, and a working mom who completely understands the students in our district from the most vulnerable to the most invulnerable. Her work for an L.A. Unified School District Board member gives her unique insight into the state and federal issues we can expect to come before the School Board.
Like Karlo, she has chosen to make a career out of developing sound education policy to help all students move forward. As a community, we need to focus on the skills the candidates bring with them, and not seek to divide our community with pseudo issues and mock crises.
You don't have to be a rocket scientist, like Dr. Steve Levin, or an attorney, like Ms. Paspalis, to know that we need folks who have dedicated themselves to public education to trust with our students' future.
I was thrilled to see the Culver City Democratic Club endorse Karlo and Claudia after hearing from the candidates. I hope you will support them as well.
Mr. Hersh may be contacted at mdhersh@prodigy.net
