Jim Province
Controversy continues to swirl around the role of school-connected organizations in our schools, and while the School Board continues to work to create a responsible policy for these school-connected organizations, there are others in our community that seem to see the newly constituted board as inadequate to the task. There is now even a small group that proposes to form a Political Action Committee (PAC) that aims to promote “an educational culture that places the interests of students before those of adults” and “organize the financial and political power of parents to support candidates and issues that promote a student-first agenda in our city and school district.”
It would seem that there are at least a few parents/community members with a grievance, who feel they have not been adequately heard and who see a need to organize against those (school board members?) that don't “put the interests of students before those of adults.” More power to them, I say. If they have a message that resonates with parents throughout the district, they should find themselves very successful. I however will not be joining them, and I suspect there are others who, like me, may balk and wonder the identity of these villains that don't “put the students first.” I have not met any of these people here in Culver City.
PreviousSuperintendents and School Boards have failed to a large degree in their role of providing adequate monitoring and evaluation of “school-connected organizations,” or worse, have turned a blind eye to some of the more problematic actions in which these organizations have engaged. This board has found itself in the unenviable position of trying to “ close the barn door after the horse is out.”
I hope we are able to avoid overt politicization of our school system(we have seen how well this works on the National level). We have one of our most talented Boards in some time. Let's all work with them now to develop and ensure meaningful and equal opportunities for all students and parents across all grade levels and in allschools.
There will be plenty of time later for politics and campaigns.
Jim Province is a parent of a Culver City High School student.
Hi Jim,
ReplyDeleteI don't understand your characterization of those who don't put students first as "villains", and your apparent perception that United Parents of Culver City is forming as an "anti" group of some sort. There are lots of legitimate reasons for various people and groups to have priorities other than the students. To name just a few examples:
Taxpayers have a legitimate interest in minimizing costs.
Unions have a legitimate interest in the salary and working conditions of their members.
Administrators have a legitimate interest in their own salaries and working conditions.
Neighbors have a legitimate interest in parking, activity levels, and other aspects of how the schools are used.
Environmentalists have a legitimate interest in the environmental footprint of the schools.
Businesses and store owners have legitimate interests which effect how the schools operate or which impact the students.
We don't see any of these people as villains, but it would be naive to think that their interests will never conflict with those of the children. From time to time, it is inevitable that the school board, the district, and the community will have to make judgements weighing these various perspectives. The main goal of UPCC is to ensure that our children have a voice in those discussions.
I invite you to come to our kickoff meeting on May 24 to learn more about us. You can find details at http://unitedparentsculvercity.com .
-Steve Levin
(parent of 1 child at CCMS and two at Farragut)
Mr. Levin,
ReplyDeletePerhaps you would not use the word "villain", but if there are board members who are truly putting the interests of adults ahead of students, I'd like to know who they are.
I would not generally disagree with your list of "special interest groups", but I find it curious that you did not mention the Board of Education. What is their "legitimate interest"?
So far though, what I've found most disturbing are the non-specific accusations and aspersions being leveled at the board and others in the community who may disagree with the "right to employ" faction. I'm sure you and others who feel similarly will continue to make your feelings known at school board meetings, and if you feel a parents "union" is the best way to achieve greater parental empowerment, I wish you well.
Best,
JP
I want to thank Jim for his thoughtful and thorough characterization of the current situation regarding school-connected organizations in our schools. I, too, will not be joining UPCC.
ReplyDeleteJim has already described UPCC’s agenda, but I want to add a direct quote from the group’s Facebook page.
“Parents and the Community United for a ‘Student First’ District.”
“United Parents of Culver City (UPCC) gives parents a voice in the political process in order to positively impact the lives of Culver City families. We promote an educational culture that places the interests of students before those of adults. UPCC’s Political Action Committee (PAC) organizes the financial and political power of parents to support candidates and issues that promote a Student-First agenda in our city and school district.”
Students First (StudentFirst.org) was founded by Michelle Rhee, a very controversial figure who believes in school voucher programs and charter schools; she is also anti-union. You can find more information in the following articles:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/03/29/michelle-rhees-cheating-scandal-diane-ravitch-blasts-education-reform-star.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/22/education/22winerip.html?pagewanted=all
Our community does not need any more divisiveness; we saw enough of that when ALLEM tried to interfere in the City Council race.
Lastly, I would like to add that the Farragut and El Marino booster clubs are in violation of IRS regulations that could cost them their tax-exempt status. In addition, both booster clubs are in violation of penal code 326.5(e). I think booster club leaders need to become better acquainted with their legal and financial obligations before casting stones at School Board members or interfering with City Council elections (the IRS has an entire section on charitable organizations and the Department of Justice has links to penal codes).
Susan Levy
Parent of a High School Student
Ms. Levy,
ReplyDeleteDo you also post under the name Susan Frank? I ask the question because your paragraph about studentfirst.org and Ms. Rhee is almost identical to a paragraph posted a few days ago by Ms. Frank on the culvercitycrossroads site.
In the event you haven't already seen it, and as I stated in response to Ms. Frank's post on that other site, there has been no mention of Ms. Rhee or her organization at any of UPCC's organizational meetings. I would expect that dispels any confusion you have on the subject. It should be no surprise that multiple organizations are using the phrase "students first".
If anyone has any questions about UPCC, please submit them on the UPCC website and/or come to the UPCC meeting on 5/24/12.
Paul Blechner
Hi Jim,
ReplyDeletePerhaps this will shed light on the “villains.” Under most circumstances, I would not use The Front Page Online website as a news source, but a quote is more likely to be reliable. Jessica Jacobs, who is seeking to start a charter school—the Innovatory School for Professional Youth—in Culver City, attended the kick-off meeting of the United Parents of Culver City UPCC). She allegedly made the following comments:
“As an outsider, I do wonder why only two School Board members [Laura Chardiet and Kathy Paspalis] – the two this group supports – were present.”
“If I were one of the group’s targets, one of the other three Board members, I would have shown up.”
If Ms. Jacobs did indeed make these comments, I wonder how it will affect her organization’s chances of establishing a charter school. In any case, I am grateful to her for sharing what many suspected.
While I am on the topic of public comments, I would like to share something that Kathy Paspalis wrote on May 23, 2011 (a year ago) on Culver City Crossroads:
“You may or may not like or agree with Michelle Rhee (or even know who she is), but I borrow this quote from her because it is the spot-on truth, and hits at the core difference between what the CC teachers’ union (sometimes) says it is doing, and what the CC school board (of which I am a member) actually does and holds as its main responsibility and mission:
“The job of a teachers’ union is to protect the pay and privileges of its members. They are doing exactly what’s expected of them. The problem, though, is that the unions have such an excessive influence over our schools. In contrast, the voices of kids and families are sometimes barely audible. Think about it — a lot of the policies and practices that govern our educational system are there because teachers unions secured them to benefit the adults in our school system, not the kids. I believe there has to be another voice advocating just as hard for the rights and needs of children.”
It is enlightening to read what others write or say in public forums; it often provides insight into a person’s core beliefs. However, in this age of digital wide-open communication, it is imperative that we think about the unintended consequences of our words.
Susan Levy
Culver City High School Parent and Volunteer