After careful consideration, United Parents of Culver City has voted to endorse Anne Burke and Scott McVarish in the Nov. 3 School Board election.
While all three candidates in the race are well-qualified, Ms. Burke and Mr. McVarish display the knowledge, experience and dedication needed as veterans Laura Chardiet and Nancy Goldberg step down.
The School District has made great strides over the last two years, in large part as a result of the collegial attitude displayed by current Board members and District administrators
Ms. Burke and Mr. McVarish have earned the trust and support of an overwhelming majority of Culver City’s elected officials, and community and parent leaders. UPCC agrees that they offer the kind of leadership necessary to face the challenges of the next four years.
In light of our one-on-one interviews and a review of their track records, UPCC’s evaluation of the candidates is as follows:
Ms. Burke, who holds a B.A. in English from the University of Massachusetts – Amherst, a masters in counseling from the Loyola Marymount School of Education, and a masters in knowledge management from Cal State Northridge, has an extensive history of volunteerism in our district. A past PTA Volunteer of the Year, she has served as El Marino Language School’s PTA president and is currently an officer in the citywide council of PTAs. She will bring vital perspectives to the board as a woman of color and the first in her family to graduate from college.
Mr. McVarish, an attorney, is engaging, dynamic, and extremely knowledgeable about what is going on in our schools. He received his B.A. from UCLA, a masters in public policy from its School of Public Policy, and his J.D. from UCLA’s School of Law. One of the founders of UPCC, Mr. McVarish has proven his commitment to involving the community in school policy decisions. He is an incisive thinker who will be an invaluable asset as the District grapples with the complexities involved in spending the proceeds of the 2014 Measure CC school bond wisely.
Kelly Kent is an interesting and intelligent newcomer. We applaud her volunteer work at her child’s school, Linwood E. Howe Elementary. We are impressed by her educational credentials. Dr. Kent comes late to the table, though, and is considerably less knowledgeable about the District — its operations, its schools, its history, and the dynamics of the community. UPCC looks forward to working with her in the future, but we feel that Ms. Burke and Mr. McVarish are the right choices in this election.
All three candidates represent what is best about our district. They are engaged, involved parents making a difference in our children’s education. Ms. Burke and Mr. McVarish are clearly better prepared to deal with the immediate challenges they will face. They have proven their commitment to students and parents citywide.
Founded in May 2012, United Parents of Culver City is a parent-run, grassroots, democratic organization founded by and comprised of Culver City parents from all schools in the Culver City Unified School District. Our members have joined together to talk and work on issues that affect all of our children, the students of Culver City. UPCC members are volunteer leaders from all five elementary schools, the Middle School and Culver City High School. Members are current and former PTA and Booster Club Presidents, trustees of the Culver City Education Foundation, CCUSD board and committee members, and other parent leaders. UPCC also has active community members. See UnitedParentsCulverCity.com
Ms. Wisnosky Stehlin, president of United Parents of Culver City, may be contacted at President@UnitedParentsCulverCity.com
