By Sandy Schwartz
Dear fellow voters:
Several writers submitting letters about the School Board candidates have noted the amount of volunteering each has contributed to our schools. They want to make that a criterion for supporting them.
To that point I will describe the situation that existed when my husband Stephen Schwartz ran for a seat on the Board in the ‘70s. He was a sheet metal worker in those years, and our oldest son had just started kindergarten at Farragut. He hadn’t yet done any volunteering in the schools. Voters had just passed a property tax override. He wanted to be sure the money was spent wisely, so he decided to run for a seat on the Board.
A major issue at the time was the banning of certain books in our schools. Yes, that really happened. This was so outrageous to many of us that he felt the best way to deal with it would be as a School Board member. He was elected and the issue of banning was resolved.
During his term of office, Prop. 13 was voted into law. As part of that governing body, he had to make the painful cuts in programs at our schools.
The point I am making is that it doesn’t matter if a candidate volunteers, although it is a wonderful thing that a person does, whether he or she does or does not have children in school, the person’s age, the person’s profession.
What matters is that such people possess a passion to contribute to the betterment of the education of our children. Whether that passion exists as expertise to share, or just a drive to deal with current issues in the District, candidates put themselves through the rigorous, exhausting, all-consuming campaigning that comes before the election.
I give credit to all seven School Board candidates. I can only vote for three. One of my votes is going to Claudia Vizcarra, a single parent of two Culver students. Her knowledge of public education, and local, state, and national policy is deeper than anyone I know. She has gained this expertise from working with LAUSD School Board Vice President Steve Zimmer as his Chief of Staff/Education Policy Director. These policies affect all school districts, including Culver City. Having someone familiar with these regulations will be a valuable asset on the Board. Her concerns about the new Common Core standards will translate into a smooth transition for implementation of the program. She is one of the fairest-minded individuals I have met. She believes every student deserves an equal education. Her efforts to attain this goal are ongoing.
In addition, because Ms. Vizcarra is bi-lingual and has years of experience dealing with diverse groups of stakeholders, she is able to communicate effectively with constituents in our District.
When you are deciding whom to vote for on or before Nov. 5, look at the qualities of each candidate, the unique abilities each brings to the Board, not how much the candidates have volunteered or if they have children in our schools.
A Board member can be a real estate agent, a nurse, an accountant, a retiree, or even a sheet metal worker, and be a dedicated and effective school board member. This has been proven throughout the years.
Ms. Schwartz may be contacted at ssschwar@pacbell.net
