[Editor’s Note: After losing his bid for re-election by 38 votes on Nov. 8, Scott Zeidman, President of the School Board, delivered his farewell address in mid-meeting last night, opening with an aside to Board colleague Prof. Patricia Siever.]
Pat, you might as well shut off that timer because I’m going long tonight.
A little more than four years ago, not knowing a whole lot about how the Board of Education worked or what it did, I ran for a seat on the Board. I didn’t like the direction the schools were going. I figured I could help change that direction.
I was running late for my first School Board forum, held at El Rincon. I parked and ran into the building, not really knowing what a forum was, where to sit or what I needed to do.
As I entered the cafeteria, I saw a distinguished, confident man standing at the podium. I figured he must be the moderator. I quickly approached him with a list of questions. In doing so, I introduced myself. “Hi, I’m Scott Zeidman.” Before I could ask the first of my many questions, the man responded, “Nice to meet you. I’m Steve Gourley.”
Birth of a Partnership
From that day forward, a friendship and a kind of partnership was formed.
I’d like to thank you for all your kind comments, not only tonight, but over the past four years. While I appreciate the kind thoughts, you have to understand that all the accomplishments we’ve made over the past four years are all Board accomplishments.
None could have occurred without Steve Gourley.
Without Steve, the Board could not have proposed and help pass Measure EE and raised $6 millionfor the district. Let that number percolate a moment, $6,000,000. That’s enough to pay for over 100 new teachers. That’s enough to pay for more than 150 classroom aides, security personnel or custodians. That’s enough to fund 60 counselors. That’s an incredible number, and an incredible accomplishment. Past Boards talked about parcel taxes for years. Our Board was instrumental in getting the first school parcel tax passed in Culver City history.
Without Steve, the Board never could have placed a cap on the size of our high school and Middle School. Mind you, the Teachers Union President is against such a cap. But we passed it nonetheless. We all know that a cap is in the best interest of the students. After all, that is why we are all here, to do what is best for the students. With Steve’s help and persistence, not only will our secondary schools be less crowded, but the District will gain significant financial independence from LAUSD. Prior boards allowed the overcrowding of our schools and allowed our District to become beholden to LAUSD. Our Board, with the community’s backing, stopped that practice.
It Would Have Been Impossible
Without Steve’s knowledge, input and expertise, the Board would never have been able to pass an acceptable budget. We’ve lost over 10 percent of our funding. Yet the Board was able to balance the budget without raising class sizes. Our kindergarten through third grade classes still stand at 22 to 24. Our fourth and fifth grade classes still are capped at 30. Look over at other districts, and you likely won’t find classes this small. For four years, the Board has fought the unions and provided the best possible budget for the students. The students have responded with high test scores and great accomplishments.
Without Steve having been bullied as a kid, the Board never would have been able to institute one of the nation’s first anti-bullying task forces, thereby putting CCUSD at the forefront of the anti-bullying campaign. Bullying didn’t start just four years ago. It’s been around as long as schools have. Yet it wasn’t until our Board came on that something was done to minimize it.
Without Steve, the Board never would have been able to expand the immersion program to La Ballona, thereby allowing, in time, an additional 264 students per year to be educated in an immersion setting. For years, unhappy families had missed out on El Marino, and had no other immersion option. Our Board saw this and directed that the program be expanded. Hundreds more students and families are the direct beneficiaries of this Board action.
Without Steve, the capital improvement money would still be sitting in the bank, untouched and untalked about. Previous boards have acknowledged the funds, but made no real efforts to spend them to benefit our students. Our Board started the process. While not everyone agrees in the direction that the funds should be spent, (and not everyone will ever agree), I expect that those monies will be spent in the very near future and that our students will reap the benefits.
Without Steve’s guidance, we wouldn’t have the jewel we have, Patti Jaffe as out District’s leader.
I wanted to take this final opportunity to thank the teachers, staff members, and the administration for all their hard work during my term. The administrators have taken some significant, completely undeserved, grief at each and every budgeting session.
Thank you to Patti Jaffe, Ali Delawalla, Eileen Carroll, Leslie Lockhart, Drew Sotelo, Jo-Anne Cooper, Mary Caruso, Mike Korgan, Robert Quinn and Ted Yant for your tireless efforts on behalf of our students.
Thank you to Rebecca Williams for your service.
It’s been an exciting, and challenging four years. Thank you for the opportunity to serve our District and our students.
Mr. Zeidman may be contacted at scott.zeidman@laslots.com
