I am glad that parents are interested in learning about our school system and, in particular, the Culver City Unified School District.
For the past several months our neighboring districts have had very similar articles in their own local papers describing declining enrollment issues. The Inglewood School District, Santa Monica and LAUSD are all evaluating how to deal with declining enrollment.
The biggest difference between those districts and Culver City Unified is that we’re the only district that will be able to keep our staff intact for next year.
Defining Terms
Recently we had a conversation about being a "Lighthouse District," and what those words meant.
It’s important to remind people that Culver City is not an island.
But we know that it’s a wonderful place to live, work and get an education. The benefit of being a smaller school district is that we can be more responsive. Being responsive does not necessarily mean doing what some of the more vocal elements in the community want. Rather, it means that we are able to take a critical look at the concerns people may have, identify areas that need improvement and implement positive changes.
At the Roots
I think the additional discussion of the need to eliminate several kindergarten classes, including one half-day kindergarten class at El Marino, has generated a completely different conversation that is driving a lot of additional concerns among parents who have a misconception about what a "choice school" or "focus/magnet school" is really about.
Enrollment at our schools is based on space availability and resources.
While there may be space, the resources may not always be present. For example, finding qualified multi-lingual teachers for our immersion programs can be very difficult. Additionally, the normal attrition that takes place annually impacts enrollment at school sites.
A Balancing Act
Our Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources, Patricia Jaffe, has the huge task of making sure we have the correct number of qualified teachers for all our students — no more, no less. Overstaffing during a decline can be as significant a problem as under-staffing when enrollment increases.
In keeping with the state education code, the District staff considerations are usually completed before March 15.
Defining Responsibilities
Some of the issues raised at last week’s School Board meeting suggest the need for a completely different discussion about the Immersion Program in Culver City. The School Board sets policy.
It does not micromanage the various specialty programs within the District.
The question of adding or retaining a kindergarten class in the immersion program or any other elementary school in the District is an administrative decision that traditionally is made by the District’s administrators.
For Future Consideration
The real policy aspect of the immersion conversation would be based on our foreign language curriculum in the District and its reference to our community in this day and age.
That would be a fascinating topic to get into at a future Board meeting.
