Jim Province
While many have sought to make political hay from the whole kerfuffle over parent funded positions at El Marino and other Culver City schools, the School Board meeting of June 12 was, overall, a decidedly calmer affair that resulted in far fewer fireworks from previous meetings. The few sparks that were evident came out of discussions of Information Item/Board Policy 4400, “Use of Private Funds for Supplemental Employment”. Those that spoke allowed that the Board “may not have intended it,” but that the policy effectively “hijacks control,” “redistributesparent resources,” and “kills parent funded positions.” What follows is what it really is.
The document in question (which can befound at http://www.ccusd.org/ourpages/boe//994%202011-12%20(Current)/001%20Agenda/001%20English/2012-06-12.pdf) is the product of district legal counsel and is intended to clarify a policy that many, including this writer, didn't realize needed clarification. Who has ultimate legal responsibility when it comes to employment matters in the Culver City schools? The proposed language starts by acknowledging the contributions of parent groups and volunteers, then continues as follows “As provided by law, the Board is required to manage and control all District operations and may not transfer that authority to a non-District individual or entity. This control requires that the Board hire, train, and supervise all persons employed in the District and to make all final decisions on employment and termination.”
Despite what organizers of “parent's unions” and political action committees might suggest, there is no war on parent volunteerism. No one has suggested parents cease to provide crucial services to students in our schools. There is nothing to suggest that anyone on the Board hasn't put the interests of students in our District first. It's common sense that human resource matters in the District need to remain the domain of the Board of Education, and while I'm not an attorney, it would seem that anything short of this unnecessarily exposes the Board and the District to potential legal problems down the line.
Jim Province is the parent of a student at Culver City High School.
"It's common sense that human resource matters in the District need to remain the domain of the Board of Education..."
ReplyDeleteWhen the District is providing the funding? Absolutely. But when the District is not? Common sense (and multiple decades of actual on-the-ground experience in Culver City schools) has shown that students benefit when when active and passionate parents are given the freedom to fund and run the programs that CCUSD can't, or won't.
"There is nothing to suggest that anyone on the Board hasn't put the interests of students in our District first."
Whenever someone on the Board fails to fight for the right of our District's students to be the sole beneficiaries of every single penny which is contributed for classroom enhancement, it's a strong suggestion that he or she hasn't put the interests of students in our District first.
Patrick Meighan
Culver City, CA (and a Lin Howe parent)
Jim,
ReplyDeleteI cannot agree with you more; the policy is extremely clear and legally sound. All school districts in the country have the same guidelines to comply with liability and employment laws. Any person who does not understand the policy and/or tries to make it look like the District does not have the students’ best interests at heart should feel embarrassed by such absurd thinking or deceptive behavior.