Against the World
This is El Marino Language Immersion School parents vs. the World meaning the School Board and the Superintendent.
Some people familiar with recent Culver City history and the previous Superintendent dont think the World should be favored to win.
These critics say that Dr. Laura McGaughey, who retired last July, ran the School District too casually, too informally, hip-pocket style like an insular, privately held family business.
Reading the books to learn how the School District has handled such crises in the past was useless, the critics say. Evidence is scanty. Effectively, what is written down is in indiscernible shorthand.
It Aint the Old Days
Tonight, these critics say with a twinkle in their wary eyes, activists will find out there is a new sheriff in town.
The old-boys style is dead.
Under Dr. Cote, Culver City once again is conducting school business with a transparent, stainless sense of tidy professionalism.
No longer is it who you know but, rather, what the rules are.
For the uninitiated, El Marino Language Immersion, undisputedly, is the Cadillac of public grammar schools in Culver City, which raises the ante in this sure-to-get-sloppier argument.
After Tonight, Catalyzed?
The families are organized, mobilized, simonized fitting because the school they all dearly love is lionized in serious education circles.
El Marnos majestic reputation is merited.
As with most fabulously successful enterprises in this life, El Marino, understandably, is accustomed to getting its way.
Naturally, Some People Happy
This time, so far, El Marino, to its extraordinary chagrin, has not.
Not surprisingly, this rare juxtaposition droolingly pleases some of the so-called pedestrian folk of our town because they love to see whomever is ahead of them squirm because. Just because.
The mere fact that El Marino is breathing annoys some people.
Special Treatment?
They think El Marino should be treated like all other soldiers in the army, that it should not expect favored treatment, which, they allege, it has routinely received in the past.
How is it, asked a father of my acquaintance, that Culver Crest families get to send their children to El Marino when El Rincon is the school in their district? Special treatment, I tell you. He has no proof.
Always Somebody
No matter how good things are, a certain segment of the population always prays for the mighty to fall, or at least to be disappointed for a change.
(Recall elections soon may bloom into a cottage industry in Los Angeles.)
Here is the setup over, by far, the most torrid flap of the school year:
Meeting at Lin Howe
Judging by the hundreds of telephone and email protest messages with which El Marino School parents have bombarded the Superintendents office the last week and a half, hordes of the angry will storm the gates for tonights 7:30 School Board meeting.
Such a huge and growling crowd is expected, the meeting has been shifted from the cozy meeting room at District headquarters to the auditorium next door at Lin Howe School.
I want the parking concession.
Why They Are Enraged
El Marino families are infuriated that the Superintendent, acting in concert with the School Board, decided on May 30 to tentatively eliminate 2 1/2 kindergarten classes because of District-wide declining enrollment.
The parents charge that they are being unfairly punished, that El Marino has enough students to stock its regular complement of kindergarten classes.
Defining the Two Sides
As we noted last Friday (Pushing Back Levin X-Rays the Fairness Issue in El Marinos Loss of Kindergarten Class, June 8), Dr. Cote, as supervisor of the whole School District, was confronted with a maddening conundrum:
Delicately balancing the Greater Good (of the School District) against the Individual Good (of El Marino).
The Superintendents Goal
From a public relations standpoint, Dr. Cotes objective is to convince El Marino families they are members of the Culver City School District team that in her eyes, Lin Howe, La Ballona, Farragut and El Rincon all are the equal of El Marino, that it is incumbent on the Superintendent to treat them equally, identically.
Cadillac is just an abstract image in somebodys mind.
I doubt Dr. McGaughey ever made this point to El Marino.
Dr. Cote made the call to cut kindergarten classes at three of the five grammar schools to spread the pain around while keeping one hand on the wheel in case anything changes.
Permission to Transfer
At issue is permits for non-resident students.
We do not have enough (resident students) to fill the classes, Dr. Cote said.
The ultimate outcome, she said this morning, hinges on LAUSD releasing a certain number of students to enroll in classes in other communities, such as Culver City.
The highly charged subject is fluid, which is the encouraging news for El Marino families.
We are looking at (LAUSDs release list) day to day, Dr. Cote said.
This Looks Familiar
For the last 30 years, Dr. Cote has been coolly making these kinds of tough decisions that are freighted bloody emotions.
Dr. McGaughey was criticized for not being a forceful leader, for being reluctant to take charge, for seeming to be incapable of seriously addressing the community sternly in a crisis situation.
The Cote Path
Such charges of flaccidity never have been made against Dr. Cote.
She is clear-eyed, firm and steady, compassionate but convinced of the correctness of her path.
She has thoroughly researched the subject, say people who see her regularly.
She has exhaustively reasoned through her decision as, I suspect, those who rise up tonight will learn for themselves.
Welcome to Culver City, Sheriff.
