ACE’s Moves Could Affect the Future of Culver City School District Funding

I am a frequent volunteer at Culver City Middle School, which my child attends. I served on the board of ALLEM for five years, the last four as vice president, then as president. 

At Tuesday night’s Culver City Unified School District board meeting, the district's Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Ali Delawalla, clearly spelled out the dire economic future facing our school district.

The state is running out of money and it is spending less and less of it on education. Time and again Delawalla referred to the $1.2 million a year promised to the district by the parcel tax, aka Measure EE. That money is the only secure funding the district can count on.

There is an unintended consequence to the current controversy over the role and independence of parent-funded services: the parcel tax may fail in the next election.

Measure EE brings in $1.2 million each year for our schools. Through the brilliant crafting of its proponents - Scott Zeidman and Madeline Erlich - that money is limited to teachers' salaries; promoting math, science, technology and art; smaller class sizes; libraries and keeping our campuses clean, safe and well maintained. It pays for about 20 teacher positions or 30 classified positions or the equivalent of six furlough days for everyone.

Measure EE is coming up for renewal and it needs a two-thirds majority to pass. Culver City was the only district to pass a parcel tax in 2009. Can we do it again?

In the 2007 school board elections around 3,000 people voted. In 2011 it was around 4,000. In 2009, a whopping 6,000 people voted, because EE was on the ballot. A group of parents and community members got out there, knocked on doors, distributed fliers, made phone calls and wore shirts. We got the parents out to vote.

If ACE or any other union persists in filing grievances compromising our ability as parents and as a community to support and enhance student education and/or if current or future parent-funded programs are compromised or removed from parent control, will the parents be there to work for the parcel tax? I am worried that disenchanted, disenfranchised parents will not support a new parcel tax.

In 20 short months Measure EE comes up for renewal. Is it really worth it to anyone in our district, whether they are union members or not to risk a stable source of funding for a "clarification" of the employee status of parent-funded services at our schools?

Please find a solution to this issue quickly.

Sincerely,

Jamie Wallace

Editor’s Note: Letters may be edited for brevity and clarity.

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