Advocating, Educating and Sacrificing: Will A New Superintendent Lead CCUSD towards a Rosy Future?

Roberta Sergant

It was a tough call.  Should I watch the Dodgers v/s the Philadelphia Phillies, or America’s Got Talent, Wheel of Fortune, or Hell’s Kitchen?  Then again, maybe I should get up off of my comfy sofa and attend
the Meet and Greet with the new Superintendent of CCUSD.  While baseball is important, putting the leadership of our schools is definitely not a game, it is serious business.

Unlike when Patricia Jaffe was chosen to lead our district as an Interim Superintendent, and then as our Superintendent, this time our talent search has led us beyond Culver City to mine the riches of South Kitsap School District, in the state of Washington.  Our newest addition to the CCUSD will guide us either more towards good fortune, or towards….well, let’s just say that Chef Ramsey will not be there to meet and greet us.

The direction and destiny of CCUSD is now in the hands of David LaRose.  With complete biographies on the Patch, and in the Culver Currents, how do we get beyond the curriculum vitae to know the man?  One way is to look at the honors that have been bestowed upon him…Man of the Year from the Kitsap Chamber of Commerce, Service to Youth Award from Kitsap Scouting, and Whole Child Award from the Washington State Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Hmmmm, all of interest, but primarily the last one, given “for his systemic and strategic approach to meeting the needs of all students.”  Repeatedly, in his own writing he mentions that his goal is for  EVERY child to succeed, ensuring that they are healthy, safe, engaged, supported, challenged and hopeful. We can’t argue with that!  These goals jive perfectly with the CCUSD’s Mission Statement and Core Beliefs.

School Board President, Karlo Silbiger, wrote that Dave will “really elevate our focus on what’s best for kids in all aspects of their lives.”  With his background as a teacher, coach, principal, Assistant Superintendent for Family and Support Services, and Superintendent, Mr. LaRose comes with solid credentials and experiences to make this goal a reality. 

Much of Mr. LaRose’s writing deals with hopefulness, as opposed to being wishful.  He quotes Christopher Reeve and Dr. Martin Luther King, two brave men who inspired others with the importance of hope.  Now, we in Culver City need to help assure that the hopefulness that Mr. LaRose brings to CCUSD will be translated into positive change. 

EDUCATION:  Big changes lie ahead in education, including an entirely new set of Core Content Standards to go into effect in 2014.  Several of our schools need to improve our services to our English Language Learners.  This will be better achieved if we pay attention to the Low Socio-Economic Level students who often overlap with our EL population.  Mr. LaRose “addressed children’s needs beyond academics in South Kitsap schools,” said Kathy Clayton when Mr. LaRose was honored for his Whole Child leadership. He was recognized for a “broad spectrum of programs…. Making sure that kids are coming to school healthy and safe, and making sure that they are supported in the school system and beyond.”

ADVOCACY: In order to overcome barriers to success Mr. LaRose advocated broadened partnerships with the community in order to foster a wider safety net for South Kitsap students.  This is an area where our long established partnerships with CCUSD (Sony, Riordan Plumbing, Symantec, the Music Center, etc.) can be recognized and expanded.  Our ongoing search for expanded funds is also something that Mr. LaRose advocates.  Community groups and Support Groups (such as Scouts, Temples, Churches, Mosques, Advocates for Language Learning, PTA, booster clubs, etc) will step forward to assist.

SACRIFICE: This is the subject that will be the most difficult for the CCUSD community to swallow. Mr. LaRose has had experience with deficits, shortfalls, rising costs of labor, enrollment fluctuation, and budget challenges.  Part of his philosophy is the full inclusion of district employees in discussions and plans for implementation of any projected cuts.  In South Kitsap he said “We’re going to share in this; this is like family budgeting. It costs more to live now.”  Unfortunately, Mr. LaRose has familiarity with potential cuts to class size enhancements, elimination of funding for highly capable students, and reductions in staff.  He identifies these as “Value-Based decisions.” 

It is the hope of every employee, parent and child that our Culver City Board of Education has made the correct decision in hiring Mr. David LaRose to guide our schools through some lean times ahead.  It will be his values that will, in the end, have to mesh with our hopes and reality.  Culver City Unified School District is not Disneyland.  It is a happy place, but it is also a business.  We will need to watch our pennies, keep kids first, and hold on to each other on the scary rides.

Roberta Sergant is a CCUSD teacher at El Marino Elementary School