At last night's School Board meeting, the District's former Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Ali Delawalla, clearly spelled out the dire economic future facing our School District.
The state is running out of money. They are spending less and less of it on education. The picture ain’t pretty, folks. It is downright scary. Time and again Mr. Delawalla referred to the $1.2 million a year promised to the District by the parcel tax, aka Measure EE. That money is the only secure funding the District can count on.
There is an unintended consequence to the current controversy over the role and independence of parent-funded services. The consequence: The parcel tax may fail in the next election. (* Background information)
Measure EE brings in $1.2 million each year for our schools. Through the brilliant crafting of its proponents, Scott Zeidman, and Madeline Ehrlich, that money is limited to teachers' salaries; promoting math, science, technology, and art; smaller class sizes; libraries; and keeping our campuses clean, safe and well-maintained. What does that $1.2 million pay for? About 20 teacher positions or 30 classified positions or the equivalent of 6 furlough days for everyone.
News for you: It is coming up for renewal, and it needs a two-thirds supermajority to pass. Culver City was the only district to pass a parcel tax in 2009. Can we do it again?
In the School Board elections in 2007, around 3,000 people voted. In 2011 it was around 4,000. In 2009, a whopping 6,000 people voted.
Why? Simple: EE, the parcel tax, was on the ballot. A whole bunch of us parents and community members got out there, knocked on doors, distributed fliers, made phone calls, wore shirts. We got the parents out to vote. Newsflash: The majority of parents don't normally vote. Yet we, as a community, passed it.
I am truly concerned, and I am not the only one.
If the Assn. of Classified Employees or any other union persists in filing grievances compromising our ability as parents and as a community to support and enhance student education…
If current or future parent-funded programs are compromised or removed from parent control…
If either or both of these happen, will the parents be there to work for the parcel tax?
I am worried that disenchanted, disenfranchised parents who have worked so hard, donated what they could, volunteered countless hours to fundraise, will not work hard or support a new parcel tax.
In 20 short months Measure EE comes up for renewal. Remember, that's $1.2 million a year. Is it really worth it to anyone in our District, whether union members or not, to risk a stable source of funding for a “clarification” of the employee status of parent-funded services at our schools?
Please find a solution to this issue quickly.
Full disclosure. I am a frequent volunteer at Culver City Middle School, which my child attends. I served on the board of ALLEM, Advocates for League Learning, El Marino, for five years, the last four as VP, then President.
*Background in a nutshell: ACE has filled a grievance demanding that the District do “something” about the parent-funded, and parent-controlled program at El Marino. What that “something” is has not been made clear since the details of the ACE actual demands have not been made public. Parents from all of the schools have voiced their alarm. A huge number of justifiably concerned parents have spoken, written, phoned all saying the same thing, let us parents fundraise to provide services in the form of adjuncts, aides, or assistants for our kids. Don't do anything that requires us to hand over control over our funding and where that money goes.
Ms. Wallace may be contacted at msjames648@earthlink.net
