I'm afraid the public may never know the real reason why Culver Park High School, our successful, state-recognized continuation high school, is being driven from its quiet, tree-lined home on Berryman Avenue and onto the back corner of some parking lot behind Farragut Elementary School.
Full-Day K History
The School District started its move to full-day kindergarten back in 2005-06 with one elementary school and expanded it to all District elementary schools, except El Marino Language School.
What $66,000?
In 2007-08, the parent group ALLEM, Advocates for Learning Language, El Marino, expanded its kindergarten lottery from about 115 spaces to more than130 spaces. With 15 additional kindergarten students being accepted, these winners brought in an additional $90,000 in ADA (Average Daily Attendance) funds from the state. As those students matriculated up through the upper grades, each newly expanded kindergarten class (130-plus) also brought in another additional $90,000 each year. In the end, El Marino was actually receiving $24,000 more than the $66,000 that it was supposedly losing from the state. So it appears El Marino hasn’t even missed this state funding and ended up way ahead in the long run.
Doing the Math
A School Board member tried rationalizing the move by saying that the district was losing out on $66,000 in annual state funding because El Marino Language School only was able to offer half-day kindergarten classes. If you were to look at the $66,000 sum from a District-wide viewpoint, you would see, after doing the math, that the loss comes to less than five-cents a day per District student.
Nickel-a-Day
So the CCUSD says it wants to evict these 70 students from their quiet, tree-lined neighborhood because El Marino can use the space. The District wants to dump Culver Park High School, lock, stock and barrel, onto the back corner of some asphalt-covered parking lot so it can spend less than a nickel-a-day more on other District students.
More Like a Mars-cape
If that isn’t dehumanizing enough, this is the same parking lot on which the District is planning to put the bulk of its solar project with almost 800 solar modules mounted on 12-foot high carports in the near future. It probably will look more like a Mars-cape than a school site.
Home, Sweet Home
Supt. Patti Jaffe said in an interview that the move had been previously discussed with Culver Park's principal and that she was okay with the move. Not long after, the principal left the school and the District. She will not have to work out of a newly spiffed-up bungalow in back of some parking lot. Ms Jaffe said that the teachers were met with also, but she failed to mention what their thoughts were on the move.
I’m Outta Here!
I wonder if this forced-eviction had anything to do with Principal Marianne Turner’s decision to leave and move on to greener pastures? I wonder what the Culver Park teachers think of moving to a parking lot?
‘Depressing and Sterile’
The state’s School Facilities division of the Dept. of Education already has indicated that it frowns on the cost-saving District practice of moving schools onto large asphalt areas. They describe these areas, such as parking lots, as being “depressing and sterile” environments, not conducive to learning.
Why doesn't the CCUSD just tell the public the real reason it wants to evict Culver Park High School from its longtime home?
I am sure there is one. And I'm not talking about the lame excuses now being offered by the Board and the Superintendent to fill the questioning silence.
Mr. Laase may be contacted at GMLaase@aol.com
